Belichick makes his first big UNC call — and it’s a quarterback shakeup
New coach, new playbook, new face of the offense. Bill Belichick’s first major move at North Carolina is a bold one: naming South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez as the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback for the 2025 opener against TCU. The decision closes a tight competition and pushes veteran Max Johnson to the No. 2 spot while true freshman Bryce Baker sits as the understudy.
On paper, the safer pick would’ve been Johnson, a seasoned starter trying to return from a broken leg he suffered in last year’s opener against Minnesota. Instead, Belichick went with the redshirt sophomore who stands 6-foot, 203 pounds, and brings live legs, calm decision-making, and a steady growth curve. That choice says a lot about how Belichick wants this team to play right now — efficient, versatile, and hard to predict.
Lopez’s story doesn’t read like a blue-chip QB path. He was a three-star recruit from James Clemens High in Madison, Alabama, who grew up playing defensive back. Corner, safety, whatever the secondary needed. His father, Barney, nudged him to try quarterback. The switch took, and the kid who used to chase receivers suddenly became the one attacking defenses. That vantage point matters. Former DBs tend to see spacing differently. They recognize coverage rotations faster. They understand what spooks safeties and what holds linebackers in place.
After a productive 2024 season at South Alabama — 66% completions, 2,559 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, five picks — Lopez hit the portal this spring and landed in Chapel Hill. He added 463 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Those numbers aren’t video-game level, but they’re exactly what NFL-minded coaches love: clean operation, low mistakes, and enough mobility to stress a defense without turning every drive into a track meet.
Belichick didn’t dress it up when he announced the decision. He said Lopez will take the majority of practice reps, he feels comfortable with him, and he expects him to keep improving as the offense settles. That’s the Belichick way — give the job to the player who gives you the best chance to win, then coach the details hard.
Johnson, to his credit, pushed to make this close. He’s logged real college snaps, knows how to get a huddle settled, and throws a catchable ball. But recovering from a broken leg is no small thing for a quarterback, especially in a camp where footwork timing, pocket movement, and on-the-fly reaction are getting graded every day. Even if Johnson is cleared, he’s playing catch-up on reps and rhythm. That matters when you’re installing new terminology, new protections, and new route adjustments.
Lopez’s edge came from stacking boring, correct decisions. He got the ball out on time. He avoided the big mistake. He used his legs to turn second-and-10 into third-and-4. He showed he could run the read game without putting the ball in danger. You can win with that — especially if you believe your defense will keep scores manageable and you want your quarterback to control games rather than chase them.
Why Lopez fits Belichick’s plan — and what it means for the opener vs. TCU
What kind of offense will UNC run under Belichick? Don’t expect a copy of the old Patriots playbook snapped onto a college roster. What we’ve seen and heard from camp points to a pro-style base wrapped in college staples: more tight-end usage than the past few years, running backs active in the pass game, and a healthy dose of RPOs, bootlegs, and movement throws to keep the chains moving.
Lopez is built for that blend. He’s a rhythm passer who can hit the quick game, he’s comfortable rolling either direction, and he’s a real threat on keepers. At South Alabama, his mobility wasn’t just a scramble plan; it was part of the menu. Those seven rushing touchdowns weren’t accidents. They came from designed runs, red-zone reads, and well-timed pulls when ends crashed too hard.
If Belichick drills anything, it’s situational football. Third down. Red zone. Two-minute. Two-for-one at the end of halves. Lopez’s profile — accurate enough, careful with the ball, athletic in tight spaces — matches those moments. His five interceptions last season hint at a quarterback who understands when the throw isn’t there. That restraint wins games you might otherwise hand away.
There’s also the locker-room message. Choosing a transfer who arrived in April over a veteran with history in the building tells players the depth chart is a living thing. If you learn it fast and execute it clean, you play. That’s a culture reset. Seniors don’t get lifetime appointments. Freshmen don’t get redshirt guarantees. Production sets the pecking order.
Is there risk? Sure. Lopez is 6-foot, not 6-4. Passing lanes close quicker for him. Defenders will try to bat balls at the line and muddy the middle of the field. He can’t take a steady diet of hits and expect to last. That means he has to slide, get out of bounds, and trust the call sheet. The staff can help by using motion, condensed formations, and play-action to pull windows open for him. You don’t need 40-yard lasers if you’re stealing eight yards on schedule.
Johnson still matters. If Lopez hits a rough patch, or if he gets dinged, Belichick has a quarterback who’s seen just about everything in college football. You can run heavier personnel with Johnson, lean into protection, and take some calculated deep shots off max protect looks. It wouldn’t be shocking to see a short-yardage or goal-line package where Johnson’s size and experience come in handy, even if he’s the backup. Belichick didn’t promise that, but he kept the door open by emphasizing that both Johnson and Baker have to stay ready.
And then there’s Baker. Freshmen quarterbacks usually get the “learn and lift” year. But the transfer portal changed that calculus. If Baker stacks good scout-team reps and shows command in meetings, he could get sprinkled in late in games or during certain series down the road. For now, the path is clear: Lopez runs it, Johnson backs him, Baker learns fast.
The opener against TCU will test all of this. TCU lives in three-safety looks and moves linebackers after the snap. They disguise pressure. They bait throws. For Lopez, the key is boring football early: trust his first read, take the checkdowns, and use his legs on third-and-medium when the picture gets cloudy. If UNC stays on schedule and limits negative plays, the RPO game and quick play-action should loosen the middle of the field by the second quarter.
Expect UNC to help Lopez early with simple answers against simulated pressure. Quick outs, hitches, stick routes to the tight end, and running backs leaking late against zone. A couple of quarterback draws on empty looks can slow TCU’s edge rush. A bootleg or two after a successful inside zone can punish overpursuit. If Lopez hits a deep shot off a flea-flicker or a double-move, great. But the bigger win is a clean first quarter and a punt team that flips the field when drives stall.
Belichick will judge this on third downs and turnovers. If Lopez keeps the ball out of harm’s way and converts the “gotta have it” plays, he’ll keep the job. If he forces throws into bracket coverage or takes unnecessary sacks, the leash shortens. That’s not harsh; that’s how Belichick has always run games. Avoid the losing play, and you’ll make enough winning plays to get home.
What about the rest of the offense? The run game is Lopez’s best friend. Inside zone, duo, and counter should be the staples. If UNC can run it when everyone knows it’s a run, the passing game becomes a choice, not a necessity. Tight ends will be busy on seam benders and option routes. Backs will be involved on screens and arrows to punish blitz looks. Motion and bunch sets help free up easy access throws.
Lopez’s defensive background quietly helps here too. Quarterbacks who used to tackle tend to be more patient with the ball. They see rotate-on-snap from safeties and understand why hots need to replace blitzers, not just cross the middle for show. When he pulls the ball on a read, he knows exactly where the unblocked defender is coming from and how to dip a shoulder to slide past contact.
The biggest adjustment ahead is volume. College offenses can be wordy. NFL-influenced ones can feel like learning a new language. Lopez only arrived in April, so he’s cramming. Belichick made a point to say the staff will keep the install progressive and feed Lopez most of the practice reps. More reps mean faster processing. Faster processing means fewer late throws. Fewer late throws mean fewer turnovers. It all stacks.
Johnson’s recovery timeline colored this race. Even if he felt good in camp, he lost months of pocket movement, ladder drills, and live reps you need to feel defenders and climb to space. That’s not a knock on him; it’s reality. The staff’s public praise for how he attacked rehab and competed isn’t window dressing. It’s also a reminder that the room is one rolled ankle away from flipping again.
Lopez doesn’t have to play hero ball to keep this job. He needs to do the boring things that win games in September: win first down, throw it away when it’s not there, and take the six-yard scramble instead of the dangerous late throw across the field. If he strings that together, the explosive plays will show up because defenses will creep and safeties will step forward. Then the glance routes and deep overs hit big.
For UNC fans, this is a shift in identity. The quarterback is now part distributor, part runner, part clock manager — and that’s meant as a compliment. The flash will come when the foundation holds. You’ll see it in little moments: a hard count that buys a free play, a late substitution that triggers a penalty, a check to a draw on third-and-7 when the defense bails. Those are the fingerprints of a Belichick team. They win by inches that add up to points.
There’s also a recruiting angle. Naming a transfer who arrived late sends a loud message to high school and portal quarterbacks: if you can pick it up and protect the ball, you can play right away here. Dual-threat recruits will notice. So will veteran quarterbacks looking for a final season with a coach who values discipline over politics.
What should we watch in Week 1? A few simple markers tell the story:
- Turnovers: zero or one should be the goal. Lopez’s 2024 track record suggests this is doable.
- Third-down percentage: if UNC lives above 40%, that means the quick game and the QB run looks are clicking.
- Red-zone efficiency: touchdowns, not field goals. Lopez’s legs should help inside the 10.
- Sacks and hits: keep the number low, protect your quarterback, and plan the slides and throwaways.
- Explosives: two to three chunk plays are enough if the rest is clean.
Make no mistake: this is a gamble with a plan behind it. Belichick didn’t hand the job to a runner and hope for the best. He picked a quarterback who plays on time, limits damage, and can add an extra gap in the run game without sacrificing structure. If Lopez keeps delivering clean drives, the defense rests, special teams matter more, and UNC becomes the kind of team that squeezes opponents for 60 minutes.
That’s the point of this choice. It’s less about highlight throws and more about down-in, down-out control. If the Tar Heels get that from Lopez in September, they’ll be in every game they play. And if they get a little more than that — the occasional scramble drill touchdown, the gutsy third-and-9 throw into a tight window — then this first big decision from Belichick will look less bold and more obvious in hindsight.
