By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — The nickname started with a no-look pass in practice. The starting job came minutes before Gio Lopez fielded questions from the media as deftly as he eludes a pass rush.
When North Carolina takes the field against TCU on Monday night, it’ll be a new era in Chapel Hill with Lopez, a transfer from South Alabama who his teammates now call Magic, starting at quarterback.
The story behind the nickname isn’t complicated. It wasn’t a big game-winning throw or a season-defining moment — it was something that happened on the practice field that reminded many of the passing of NBA legend Magic Johnson.
“Well, the story was we were training, and I did a no-look throw or something — something random,” Lopez said, smiling as he remembered the moment. “And ever since then, it stuck. I don’t know why we went with Magic, but I guess it’s a cool reference.”
For wide receiver Jordan Shipp, the name fits. He says when Lopez is under center, anything feels possible.
Shipp, who will be one of the starting wide receivers, explains why the nickname fits.
“You make every play, make every throw, no matter where,” Shipp said. “Having a quarterback like that is definitely a big opportunity for big plays. He can get out of the pocket. And I know he has trust in me.”
Shipp, a sophomore who will make his second college start after catching nine passes for 114 yards and a touchdown last season, says Lopez is a playmaker.
“There are times where he’ll just throw it up, just let me go make a play, and that’s something I’m grateful for,” Shipp said. “It comes over just the hard work that’s building that connection. And I’m thankful he has that connection.”
Lopez didn’t learn he was the starter in some dramatic team meeting. It happened quietly, just a short conversation with Coach Bill Belichick before walking into the Kenan Football Center Hall of Honor to talk to the media.
“Coach told me a little bit before, but nothing too crazy,” Lopez said of how he got the news. “Just told me [that I] looked good during the camp, and told me that I’m gonna get the reins of the offense.”
Lopez was just as exciting telling his father he’d be Belichick’s first college starting quarterback.
“It feels nice to earn it, [and for it to] finally get announced,” said Lopez, who threw for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns last season at South Alabama. “But it just felt good to call my dad after getting announced and tell him. We’ve got one part going. Now it’s time to go win some games.”
For Lopez, the announcement was personal. After transferring from South Alabama, this was the goal all along.
“We were just competing as a team, as a unit, just trying to put ourselves in the best situation,” Lopez said after competing with Max Johnson and others to be the starter. “And I guess it all worked out for me. But I’m just thankful for the opportunity.”
Belichick explained why Lopez earned the job — and why the plan is about progress, not perfection.
“Gio has made a ton of progress,” Belichick said. “We’ve evaluated things through training camp. And now, as we get ready for TCU, he’ll be our starting quarterback, so we’ll give him the reps in practice and make sure that we get him as much preparation as possible.”
The coach was clear that UNC’s offense isn’t about running every play in the book. Instead, it’s about doing what works best against each opponent and building from there.
“We don’t really have a whole playbook. I mean, we do, but we don’t, because we wouldn’t do everything against everybody,” Belichick said. “We have certain things that we do against certain teams and the way they play, and maybe not so much on something else. So we would fine-tune that based on the game.”
And while the moment feels significant now, Belichick made it clear that Lopez will continue to grow.
“I feel very comfortable with him and what he’s doing, but he’ll get better as we go forward, because we just will,” Belichick said. “We have a lot of practices in front of us, a lot of games in front of us, and we’ll all learn a lot from those. So I think he’s ready, but I think he’ll be, like everybody, more ready as we go forward.”
As for Lopez, the plan for Monday night is simple: no mistakes, compete, and win.
“Just not have negative plays and compete,” Lopez said. “If we do our job, we should put ourselves in a good opportunity to win the game. For me, I just want to win games. I don’t care if I have 500 yards, of five yards [if] we win the game. That’s all that matters.”
From a no-look pass in practice to a nickname that stuck. From a quiet hallway conversation to the starting spotlight under Belichick. From South Alabama to UNC’s biggest stage.
The magic is real. And now, it’s official.
| 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 |
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