2 weeks Ago By Daniel Blackham
North Carolina has seemed to struggle to nail down a starting quarterback ahead of the new College Football season - but all that could be about to change. The Tar Heels - under the leadership of legendary head coach Bill Belichick - have seen four players take snaps under center so far in training camp . Conner Harrell, Michael Merdinger, Max Johnson and Jacob Criswell have all had a chance to impress Belichick - though only Johnson remains at Chapel Hill.
The other three have all departed in the transfer portal , while Johnson is still recovering from a fractured leg he suffered during the 2024 season. Now, however, North Carolina has a new option, with former South Alabama quarterback Gil Lopez committing. According to 247 Sports, the three-star quarterback has decided to commit to North Carolina ahead of the 2024 season, giving Belichick a fresh option under center.
During his redshirt season last year, Lopez threw for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns - while also running for 465 yards. His two-way play gives Belichick a real boost as he looks to retool the offense for his first year in College Football. Quarterback isn't the only position North Carolina will strengthen for next season, however, as reports suggest Colorado wide receiver Adrian Wilson has committed to North Carolina.
Wilson was a four-star recruit coming out of Pflugerville, Texas, and was lauded by Coach Deion Sanders upon joining. But he never ended up playing a down for the Buffaloes, before entering into the transfer portal at the end of last season. He had offers from Arizona State, Baylor, Auburn, Colorado State, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, TCU, South Carolina, SMU, Purdue, Penn State, Oregon, Liberty, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Texas State, Tulane, Utah and UTEP - but chose North Carolina.
The two additions to the Tar Heels offense are a promising start for Belichick, who recently celebrated his 73rd birthday with girlfriend Jordan Hudson - who appears to have a more prominent role within the UNC program than initially thought ..
