Heel Tough Blog: Billy Edwards Jr Named UNC's Starting QB for TCU
After a long and well-fought battle to be the starting QB for the Tar Heels against TCU next Saturday, Bill Belichick has named Wisconsin transfer Billy Edwards Jr as the starting QB for Carolina according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Edwards won the job over Texas A&M transfer Miles O’Neill, who had a previous relationship with new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who in part recruited O’Neill to College Station.
Bill Belichick opted to revamp the QB room after the 2025 season, when Gio Lopez struggled after transferring in from South Alabama. This off-season, he brought in both Edwards Jr, and O’Neill, along with freshman Travis Burgess, who might be the future of the room in the years to come. And while O’Neill’s arm talent might be better than Edwards’s, he doesn’t have the experience playing QB at the power conference level, and his decision-making and accuracy weren’t on display like Edwards', which made a difference in the final decision.
Edwards Jr. began his career at Wake Forest back in 2021, before moving on to Maryland, where he played 26 games for the Terps, with his most productive season coming back in 2024. That season, Edwards threw for over 2,881 yards, with a 15-9 touchdown-interception ratio, averaging 6.9 yards per attempt and 261.9 passing yards per game. After his junior season, he opted to transfer to Wisconsin, where an early-season PCL injury derailed any chance of him building on a strong junior season, as he played in just two games and was a modest 7-16, without a touchdown or an interception.
The Tar Heels opted for the safer option here and the guy that is probably going to give them the best chance to win the game against TCU. It felt like everything was trending in O’Neill’s direction with him being the first player in quarterback drills in the media portion of practice, but, in the end, his struggles with decision-making and accuracy were just too much for the staff to overlook. Don’t rule out seeing O’Neill or even Burgess at some point this season if Edwards struggles, but it will be the experience of Edwards taking the field first in the season opener which is just 11 days away.
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