Another signal-caller is headed to Chapel Hill.

Quarterback Gio Lopez, who spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at South Alabama, committed to head coach Bill Belichick and UNC out of the transfer portal Thursday night, according to multiple reports. As a rising redshirt sophomore, Lopez will have three seasons of eligibility with the Tar Heels.

Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports first reported the news, followed by Inside Carolina. Lopez shared the news himself on social media later that night.

Lopez, a lefty originally from Madison, AL, arrived at South Alabama as a three-star recruit but appeared in just four regular-season games as a true freshman. Lopez was able to start in South Alabama’s bowl game while preserving his redshirt, allowing him to shine and lead the Jaguars to victory. Lopez completed 14 of 19 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns while also carrying the ball seven times for 88 yards and another score, helping South Alabama blow out Eastern Michigan 59-10 in the 68 Ventures Bowl. He was named the game’s MVP.

Fully entrenched as the starter for the 2024 season, Lopez was sharp once again. He finished the year with a 66.0 completion percentage (206-312), throwing for 2,559 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. Lopez also ran the ball for 463 yards and seven touchdowns.

Lopez posted three games with at least three passing touchdowns and helped the Jaguars score at least 30 points seven times, including a whopping 87 in a win against Northwestern State in September. Lopez finished 15-19 with four touchdowns and no interceptions in that contest. Against North Texas in the season opener, Lopez set a South Alabama program record with 494 yards of total offense (432 passing, 62 rushing). Between passing and rushing, Lopez accounted for at least one touchdown in all 11 of his games during the 2024 season. He did not play in a Week 2 loss at Ohio, nor in South Alabama’s bowl game against Western Michigan.

Lopez joins a relatively sparse quarterback room at UNC, which features heralded freshman Bryce Baker and veteran Max Johnson — who started the season opener in 2024 but was sidelined for the rest of the season after a gruesome broken leg. Johnson’s participation in UNC’s spring practice was limited, and he did not take part in 11-on-11 drills. The other two Tar Heel quarterbacks to start games last season, Conner Harrell and Jacolby Criswell, have both since transferred away from the program. Purdue transfer QB Ryan Browne also entered the transfer portal on Wednesday after committing to the Tar Heels in December.

Learn more about other incoming portal commitments to UNC football in the spring window with Chapelboro’s Transfer Arrivals tracker.

 

Featured image via South Alabama Athletics

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