Gio Lopez remembers the spring transfer portal window feeling a bit hectic.
A standout second-year passer for South Alabama, Lopez seemed primed to be one of the top overall players in the Group of Five heading into his redshirt sophomore season. Then, suddenly, he announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on April 14.
Three days later — really minutes later is when the news began to break — Lopez announced his intention to transfer to North Carolina and play for Bill Belichick.
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“It was a quick turnaround,” Lopez told CBS Sports at the Manning Passing Academy in June.
“It was one of those situations where I hit the portal and UNC hit me up right as I hit the portal. I had a good opportunity arise. It was all fun.”
The specifics of the timing aside, Lopez emerged this spring as Belichick’s hand-picked quarterback for the 2025 season. Others were in contention to be that guy at different points. The Tar Heels made a big push for new Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer. UNC also flirted with now Sacramento State quarterback Jaden Rashada but ultimately opted to stick with just Lopez as a transfer quarterback take.
It’s easy to understand what the Tar Heels liked in their likely new QB1.
Lopez emerged as a dynamic dual-threat option for South Alabama last season. He ended the year with 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns against just five interceptions while completing 66% of his passes. He also ran for 465 yards and seven touchdowns on 5.6 yards per carry.
He was the only FBS quarterback to throw for at least 2,500 yards, complete better than 65% of his passes and run for at least five yards per carry.
That combination is a big reason why Belichick targeted Lopez for the 2025 season, a fact that’s not lost on Lopez.
“He’s one of the greatest coaches of all time, if not the greatest,” Lopez said. “So, you know, being handpicked by him to be his quarterback is special. I want to live up to that.”
Lopez said Belichick hasn’t been what most people would expect him to be based on his reputation. Lopez figured he’d be stoic and monotone. Instead, Belichick is constantly cracking jokes.
Not that Lopez can share any of them.
“There’s no PG-13 jokes,” Lopez said. “He makes some great jokes. Locker room talk kind of guy.”
Expectations for North Carolina will be interesting in Year 1.
On one hand, the Tar Heels return just six starters, the second-lowest total in the ACC ahead of only Virginia Tech. On the other, North Carolina aggressively upgraded its roster in the transfer portal with a top 10 class. There’s also the Belichick factor to consider as the Tar Heels will be led by one of the most successful NFL coaches of all time.
Lopez isn’t making any predictions, but he’s optimistic about what the Tar Heels will be in 2025.
“I just feel like we can win a lot of games here,” Lopez said. “We get told not to promise anything. I’m not going to be the person to go against that. But I think we can win a lot of ball games, and I think we have a really good shot at being a really good program.”
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