Heel Tough Blog: 2025 Position Previews- QB
- Anthony Pagnotta
- Jul 19
- 3 min read

It’s that time of year again, folks. With the season fast approaching, it is time to give you a preview of what this roster is going to look like this upcoming season under new coach Bill Belichick. To start it off, we give you a look at the quarterback spot where the team appears to have their starter in the form of a transfer, but we still have a battle for the job to start fall camp.
After beginning the quarterback battle with Purdue transfer Ryan Browne and true freshman Bryce Baker in the spring, the staff brought in South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez to be the presumed starter back in the spring portal. Like everyone else on the roster, Lopez will have to battle for the job, but after what he did as a redshirt freshman, he is a heavy favorite to start the season opener against TCU. 2024 was Lopez’s breakout year as he started eleven of the Jaguars twelve games, missing the second game of the season. In those twelve games, the Jaguars posted a 6-5 record while Lopez completed 206 of his 312 passes (66% completion percentage) for 2,559 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 463 yards and seven touchdowns on 83 carries. The hope is that he can build upon those numbers this season in Freddie Kitchens offense.
Baker is the guy that appeared to be the biggest threat entering the summer and may still be able to factor into the running here in the fall. He enrolled early with the team back in the winter following a very successful high school stint at in-state East Forsyth High School, where he threw for 8,428 yards and posted a 99-13 touchdown-to-interception ratio while also running for 675 yards and ten touchdowns in three seasons as a starter. He flashed at times in the spring, but had trouble with consistency as witnessed in his performance in the ‘Practice Like a Pro’ event that concluded spring practice. If he can build off those moments that he showed back in April, he might have a chance to win this job with the amount of raw talent and accuracy that he brings to the table.
The biggest challenger for Lopez in the fall, though, might be Max Johnson who appears like he will be a full go for the team when they open camp. While he may not have had the best start to his Tar Heel career in last year’s season-opener against Minnesota, Johnson has the P4 experience that the other two competitors lack. In his five years at the college level, Johnson has completed 60.5% of his passes for 5,923 yards and posted a 47-13 TD-INT ratio while posting a 14-12 record as a starter. If he is able to prove that he is healthy at the start of fall camp, he will be pushing to start the opener for a second straight season.
The depth in this room is strong as well. It starts with fellow true freshman Au’Tori Newkirk who joins the team after a storied prep career. In his final two seasons, he threw for 7,472 yards and 94 touchdowns and ran for 1,363 yards and 19 touchdowns while posting a perfect 31-0 record on the way to winning back-to-back state titles. He is almost certainly destined for a redshirt this season barring major injury issues.
Three walk-ons will be a part of the unit this season. Sophomores DJ Mazzone and Andy Miyares Jr. and freshman Gary Merrill will all be providing extra depth for the room this year.
Projected Depth Chart:
# 7 Gio Lopez, So.
#14 Max Johnson, Sr.
# 2 Bryce Baker, Fr.
#10 Au’Tori Newkirk, Fr.
#15 DJ Mazzone, So.
#16 Gary Merrill, Fr.
#18 Andy Miyares Jr., So.
Damn !
Did not realize we had such depth