North Carolina’s quarterback decision this offseason may have done more than settle a Week 1 starter. It could also set up another transfer portal move next year.
Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels rebuilt the roster aggressively this offseason, leaning on the portal as the main way to add talent. The quarterback room was a prime example.
North Carolina brought in Billy Edwards Jr. and Miles O'Neill, then let the two transfers battle for the job. In the end, the Wisconsin transfer won the competition and was named the Week 1 starter.
That leaves O'Neill in the backup role, which is not a bad place to be on paper. But for a quarterback, it can also be a waiting game that doesn’t always end the way you want. If Edwards Jr. keeps the job all season and O'Neill never gets a real chance to play, the redshirt sophomore’s stay in Chapel Hill may not last long.
There’s also the bigger picture to consider. Edwards Jr. is entering his final year of eligibility, so at first glance it might seem like O'Neill should simply wait his turn.
But if he’s still at North Carolina in 2027, he would have to beat out Travis Burgess for the starting job. That would be a tougher ask than this year’s competition.
Burgess is viewed as a high-end talent with elite potential, and it’s hard to see O'Neill winning that battle if it comes to that. On top of that, North Carolina could have a new head coach next season, and a new staff would likely lean toward Burgess at quarterback. If Burgess were to enter the transfer portal instead, the Tar Heels could go shopping for yet another option.
So while O'Neill is the backup now, his path to becoming North Carolina’s starter in 2027 looks extremely thin. If things break a certain way this season, it would not be a surprise to see the Texas A&M transfer head back into the portal next offseason.
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