After a nightmare first season with North Carolina football, Bill Belichick has found who could potentially be his next starting quarterback. On Sunday morning, the Tar Heels landed a commitment from former Maryland and Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Edwards transferred to Wisconsin last offseason but suffered a knee injury in the season opener. He tried to give it a go in one more game, against his former team in Maryland, but re-injured his knee and missed the rest of the season.
The Virginia native was the starter for the Terrapins in 2024, playing in 11 games and throwing for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns with nine interceptions. Belichick will be hoping to get the best out of Edwards, combined with the hire of Bobby Petrino as the new offensive coordinator, to get the Tar Heels program moving in the right direction in year two.
North Carolina was a bit of a circus in Belichick's first season back in college after an illustrious NFL coaching career. The team was overshadowed by the drama of Belichick and his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, but the product on the field wasn't much better either. The Tar Heels started their season with an embarrassing 48-14 loss to TCU in prime time and continued to lose from there.
In the end, North Carolina went just 4-8 on the season and 2-6 in ACC play, winning just two games against power conference teams all season. South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez was the quarterback for most of the season, but veteran Max Johnson also got some reps as the starter. Lopez is also returning to Chapel Hill next season.
The Tar Heels will need Edwards, if he is the starter, to come in and make an instant impact if North Carolina wants to have success against. much tougher schedule next season. It will open its season in Dublin, Ireland against TCU while also playing against Notre Dame in the non-conference. In ACC play, North Carolina has road games against Clemson and Duke and has home games against Miami and Louisville.
If Edwards can come in and give the Heels improved play at quarterback and stay healthy, Belichick and company will have their eyes set on a bowl game in 2026.
