By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina is targeting South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez, who is expected to enter the transfer portal when it opens on Wednesday and is considered the favorite, according to multiple reports.
The left-handed Lopez threw for 2,559 yards, 18 touchdowns and only five interceptions during his redshirt freshman season in 2024. He completed 65.9% of his passes and ran for 465 yards and seven touchdowns on 85 carries.
His athleticism, speed and quickness have been compared to that of Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. In an interview in the below video, he admitted that he only slid four times last season.
UNC has three quarterbacks on its roster: 6–5 senior Max Johnson, 6–4 senior Purdue transfer Ryan Browne and 6–3 freshman Bryce Baker.
There were reports that linked former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava to UNC, but later reporting indicated that the Tar Heels were out of the mix on him.
The 6–0, 220-pound product of Madison, Ala., was a three-star recruit out of James Clemens High School, where he threw for 2,767 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior. He picked South Alabama over offers from Charlotte, Jacksonville State, Troy and UAB.
Lopez, an All-Sun Belt honorable mention selection, set the South Alabama program single-game record for total offense with 494 yards (432 passing and 62 rushing) in the season opener against North Texas when he threw three touchdown passes. He threw four TD passes when the Jaguars scored a school-record 87 points in a win over Northwestern State.
As a true freshman in 2023, he played five games, completed 41 of 61 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns while running for 154 yards and two touchdowns.
South Florida went 7–6 last season for its third consecutive winning season.
UNC schedule
| Month/ date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| September | |
| 1 (Monday), 7:30, ESPN | vs. TCU |
| 6 | at Charlotte |
| 13 | vs. Richmond |
| 20 | at Central Florida |
| October | |
| 4 | vs. Clemson |
| 17 (Friday) | at California |
| 25 | vs. Virginia |
| 31 (Friday) | at Syracuse |
| November | |
| 8 | vs. Stanford |
| 15 | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | vs. Duke |
| 29 | at N.C. State |
Photo via usajaguars.com
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