By R.L. Bynum
Former South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez, whose style has been compared to that of Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson, will transfer to North Carolina and reportedly will be paid well.
“Grateful and excited for the next chapter,” Lopez said in posts on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram on Thursday night when he announced his decision. “Go Heels!”
ESPN reported that, according to its sources, Lopez is receiving a two-year, $4 million contract to play for Carolina. ESPN says that Georgia and LSU talked with Lopez before he finalized his deal with General Manager Michael Lombardi on Thursday.
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 drawn comparisons ot Vick and Jackson. In an interview in the video below, he admitted that he only slid four times last season.
UNC has two other quarterbacks on its roster: 6–5 senior Max Johnson and 6–3 freshman Bryce Baker. Purdue transfer Ryan Browne went through spring practice at Carolina but entered the transfer portal this week.
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 in five games, completing 41 of 61 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 154 yards and two touchdowns.
South Florida went 7–6 last season for its third consecutive winning season.
| Month/ date | Score/ time | Opponent | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| September | |||
| 1 | L, 48–14 | vs. TCU | 0–1 |
| 6 | W, 20–3 | at Charlotte | 1–1 |
| 13 | W, 41–6 | vs. Richmond | 2–1 |
| 20 | L, 34–9 | at UCF | 2–2 |
| October | |||
| 4 | L, 38–10 | vs. Clemson | 2–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 (Fri.) | L, 21–18 | at California | 2–4, 0–2 |
| 25 | L, 17–16, OT | vs. No. 16 Virginia | 2–5, 0–3 |
| 31 (Fri.) | W, 27–10 | at Syracuse | 3–5, 1–3 |
| November | |||
| 8 | W, 20–15 | vs. Stanford | 4–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | L, 28–12 | at Wake Forest | 4–6, 2–4 |
| 22 | L, 32–25 | vs. Duke | 4–7, 2–5 |
| 29 | L, 42–19 | at N.C. State | 4–8, 2–6 |
Photo via usajaguars.com
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