Bill Belichick bags transfer portal QB just hours after his exit from South Alabama

NCAA Football: South Alabama at Louisiana State - Source: Imagn

North Carolina Tar Heels Head coach Bill Belichick has managed to bag a new QB. Just hours after Gio Lopez entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, it was announced that he has committed to the Tar Heels in what can be deemed as a big win for Belichick.

On Thursday, Gio Lopez made a post on X thanking South Alabama for the wonderful time he spent there. He thanked his coaches, friends, and other members of the university's staff.

"Saying goodbye to South Alabama is one of the most difficult decisions of my life. I am incredibly grateful for my time here and for all those who made it such a special experience. It's impossible to put into words what coach Applewhite, Ms. Julie, and the entire Applewhite family mean to me. I will always be thankful for their mentorship, support, and love."

"South has helped me grow on and off the field and I leave with friendships and connections to last a lifetime. From my teammates and coaches to amazing people like my academic advisor Ms. Summer Stover. Thank you for believing in me and for guiding me every step along the way. I'll never forget some of our great moments on the field, like beating Troy and bringing the belt back to Mobile."

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A minute after making his post thanking South Alabama, Lopez made another post about how excited he is to join Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

"Excited and grateful, go Heels!"

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The post showed Lopez in Tar Heels colors with his status highlighted in bold letters, 'Committed'.

Bill Belichick likely has Gio Lopez as the favorite to be North Carolina's starting QB next season

The North Carolina Tar Heels lost starting QB Jacolby Criswell to East Tennessee State this offseason. As a result, the QB situation at North Carolina was in flux for a while.

Purdue transfer Ryan Browne and four-star true freshman Bryce Baker were the only options for the team, even though they did not look like great options after the spring game. The only other QB on the roster, Max Johnson, is out with a leg injury.

As a result, Belichick and the Tar Heels went out and acquired someone with starting experience. Lopez was the full-time starter for the Jaguars last season, completing 206 of 312 passing attempts for 2559 yards and 18 TDs.

An added benefit of signing him is that he still has three years of eligibility, and as a result, could be the starter for several seasons if he is a good fit in the offense.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Satagni Sikder