Could Jaylen Raynor Be the Answer at Quarterback for UNC?
The North Carolina Tar Heels are staring down a critical offseason after a disappointing 4-8 campaign that left them out of the bowl picture for the first time since 2018. One of the biggest question marks heading into the winter?
Quarterback. And there may be a familiar name on the radar.
Jaylen Raynor, the Arkansas State quarterback who just hit the transfer portal, is a name to watch. He’s a North Carolina native, which naturally raises some eyebrows in Chapel Hill, especially considering the Tar Heels’ current situation under center.
Raynor isn’t just a local kid-he’s coming off a season where he led the Sun Belt in passing yards with 3,361, while completing 66.5% of his throws. Add in 19 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and another 423 yards and seven scores on the ground, and you’ve got a legitimate dual-threat option.
That kind of production is hard to ignore, especially for a UNC team that didn’t get what it hoped for from Gio Lopez in 2025. After transferring in from South Alabama, Lopez struggled to find a rhythm, finishing with fewer than 2,000 passing yards and leaving the offense in search of answers more often than not.
Raynor, meanwhile, has shown steady growth since arriving at Arkansas State in 2023. He threw for 2,550 yards and 17 touchdowns as a freshman, followed by 2,738 yards and 16 scores in 2024.
Then came the breakout in 2025. He’s not a towering presence at 6-foot, 202 pounds, but he’s tough, mobile, and knows how to extend plays-traits that could help stabilize an offense still trying to find its identity.
Of course, the Tar Heels have been down this road before. Lopez also came from the Sun Belt, and while Raynor and Lopez are different quarterbacks with different skill sets, their numbers in their final seasons with their respective teams aren’t wildly different.
That could give UNC some pause. Still, Raynor’s ability to make plays with his legs and his improved efficiency as a passer make him an intriguing option-especially for a team that needs a spark.
But quarterback isn’t the only issue in Chapel Hill. Outside of Jordan Shipp, the Tar Heels don’t have a proven wide receiver on the roster. That’s going to be a tough sell for top-tier quarterbacks in the portal, and it’s something Bill Belichick and his staff will need to address quickly if they want to bring in real competition at the position.
Raynor might not be the flashiest name in the portal, but he’s a realistic target-and, frankly, one of the more viable ones given UNC’s current roster makeup. If the Tar Heels want to turn things around in 2026, they’ll need more than just a new quarterback. But it wouldn’t hurt to start there, and Jaylen Raynor could be a step in the right direction.