Who will be UNC football starting quarterback? Bill Belichick breaks down 5 options
· Yahoo Sports
CHAPEL HILL — Things look a lot different for UNC football as the Tar Heels continue a five-week period of spring practice ahead of their second season under coach Bill Belichick.
During UNC’s “Practice Like A Pro” day in April 2025, Ryan Browne and Bryce Baker took a majority of the snaps in an intersquad scrimmage at Kenan Stadium. Neither player took a snap over the course of the Tar Heels’ 12-game schedule, with Browne returning to Purdue and Baker sitting behind Gio Lopez, Max Johnson and Au’Tori Newkirk on the depth chart.
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Newkirk, who appeared in two games and totaled 14 snaps per Pro Football Focus, is the lone returner in a retooled quarterback room as UNC begins preparation to rebound from a 4-8 debut season under Belichick.
Lopez transferred to in-state rival Wake Forest, Johnson made the move to Georgia Southern and Baker joined James Franklin at Virginia Tech. UNC brought in three transfers at QB and added a highly-touted freshman recruit to join Newkirk.
When asked what pops about the players he added to the QB room and what he likes about them, Belichick said “they’re all a little bit different” during his spring press conference on March 24.
Here’s a breakdown of the five quarterbacks competing for Belichick's Tar Heels in Year 2.
Billy Edwards Jr., Wisconsin transfer
Rocking a red No. 9 jersey during UNC’s opening day of spring practice, Edwards could be the favorite to land the starting job for Belichick’s second squad in Chapel Hill. The 6-foot-3, 228-pound graduate student is a Wisconsin transfer who played two games for the Badgers before his season was cut short because of a left knee injury.
“Billy Edwards has played a lot. Had a really good at Maryland in ‘24,” Belichick said. “Similar to Max Johnson, was hurt early in the season last year, like Max was in ‘24. So this is his extra year. He’s excited to start here and see what that brings.”
In 11 games as a starter for the Terrapins in 2024, Edwards was second in the Big Ten with an average of 261.9 passing yards per game. He finished with 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Miles O’Neill, Texas A&M transfer
O’Neill is wearing a No. 8 jersey and looks the part as a 6-foot-5, 220-pound redshirt sophomore from Massachusetts. He appeared in seven games as a redshirt freshman at Texas A&M, totaling 120 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
“Miles had an outstanding high school career at Hun School,” Belichick said. “He went to Texas A&M and didn’t get a lot of playing time there. He’ll get an opportunity here.”
O’Neill was a four-star recruit out of high school and was named the 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey.
Taron Dickens, Western Carolina transfer
A 5-foot-11, 180-pound Miami native, Dickens committed to UNC on Feb. 15 as a Western Carolina transfer. He could be the wild card in the QB room as the third signal-caller to join the Tar Heels via the transfer portal.
“Of course, Dickens isn’t here,” Belichick said. “So we’ll see what that is.”
Dickens spent three seasons with the Catamounts, putting up eye-popping statistics in 2025. He had 3,508 passing yards with a 74.2% completion percentage, 38 touchdowns and two interceptions last season. He also broke an NCAA record by completing 46 consecutive passes in a game.
Au’Tori Newkirk, UNC football sophomore
The lone returner at QB for Belichick, Newkirk is rocking a No. 10 jersey in spring practice ahead of his redshirt freshman season. He appeared in two games as a freshman, finishing the year on a high note with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Owens at N.C. State.
“Tori, with a year under his belt, after a good freshman season … Tori didn’t get here until June last year, so he was a little bit behind from that standpoint,” Belichick said. “But he’s worked hard and caught up, and he’ll be competitive as well.”
Travis Burgess, UNC football freshman
A 6-foot-4, 193-pound true freshman from Georgia, Burgess is a high-profile recruit who attended Grayson High School and participated in the prestigious Elite 11 Finals for the nation’s top high school QBs. Following a surgery in September 2025 to repair a right-knee injury, Burgess wasn’t wearing a knee brace and didn’t appear to be hindered by any issues during the 15-minute portion of spring practice open to media members on March 24.
“Travis is coming along,” Belichick said. “We’ll see how that goes, but he’s doing more each day. So, we’ll see how that all plays out.”
Burgess is among the nearly 40 freshmen UNC signed in its 2026 recruiting class. As a four-star recruit with high expectations, his development will be something to monitor throughout the offseason.
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: What Bill Belichick said about 5 UNC football QBs before 2026 season