Bill Belichick has made his call at quarterback, and North Carolina is leaning on the veteran in the one area it can least afford to keep guessing.
Billy Edwards Jr. will start Saturday against TCU at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, giving the Tar Heels an experienced hand as they try to clean up an offense that never found much rhythm during Belichick’s first season in Chapel Hill. The opener is more than a fresh start; it’s a test of whether UNC can finally get steady play from the position that drove so much of last year’s frustration.
Belichick said Monday that Edwards separated himself from the rest of the competition because of his experience and consistency. Edwards beat out Miles O’Neill, Travis Burgess and Au’Tori Newkirk for the job, and that choice points directly at what UNC needs most: fewer mistakes, more control and a quarterback who can keep the offense on schedule.
Edwards arrives with plenty of mileage. He spent his first four college seasons at Maryland before transferring to Wisconsin, and his best stretch came in 2024, when he completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions while adding five rushing scores.
His 2025 season never really got going after an injury cut into his chances with the Badgers, but that detour is what brought him to Chapel Hill. Now he’s the one tasked with running Bobby Petrino’s offense.
That assignment is a big one, but it doesn’t require Edwards to be a star in the Drake Maye mold. UNC just needs him to handle the job cleanly, protect the ball and keep the Tar Heels balanced enough to avoid the kind of breakdowns that buried them a year ago.
That’s where Petrino enters the picture. North Carolina’s offense lacked a real identity in 2025, struggling to sustain drives and failing to top 20 points in seven games.
Gio Lopez opened the year as the starter, but injuries kept getting in the way, and the offense kept searching for answers around him. Belichick answered by moving on from Freddie Kitchens and bringing in Petrino, a coach with a long track record of productive quarterback play.
Petrino has worked with Lamar Jackson, Ryan Mallett, Tyler Wilson and Brian Brohm, and his offenses are known for motion, play-action and multiple formations that create easier throws and better matchups.
Edwards gives Petrino a quarterback who should be able to absorb that system right away. And he’ll have help around him.
Jordan Shipp is back after showing playmaking ability, while Lehigh transfer Mason Humphrey joins the mix after posting 650 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season. North Carolina also has several options at running back and tight end.
The hard part is making all of that work quickly enough to matter in Week 1.
TCU already knows what can happen when UNC’s offense slips out of control. Last season, the Horned Frogs hammered the Tar Heels 48-14, scoring 14 points directly off turnovers. North Carolina managed just 222 total yards and completed only six passes in that game, a brutal snapshot of how badly things fell apart.
Now TCU gets the first crack at Petrino’s new offense and Edwards’ first start in the role. The challenge comes with extra layers: an overseas trip, a rebuilt roster and an opponent that won nine games last season. The Horned Frogs also enter with the memory of last year’s blowout still fresh.
For UNC, that makes Edwards’ poise as important as anything he can do with the ball. The Tar Heels can’t afford giveaways or a stretch where the game gets away from them after one mistake. They need a quarterback who can settle things down when the tempo changes.
Belichick has left the door open for O’Neill to play at some point, but the starter he chose says plenty about the direction he wants this team to take. North Carolina isn’t looking for another round of quarterback uncertainty. It wants steadiness, reliability and enough production to give the rest of the offense a chance.
Edwards gets that first shot Saturday at noon ET.
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Tomlinson carried that production into the NFL after going fifth overall in the 2001 draft to the San Diego Chargers, where he became an even bigger star. Multiple Pro Bowl trips, major league honors and a jersey retirement in San Diego only reinforced the reputation he built at TCU, which is why his name still comes up anytime the Horned Frogs talk about what greatness looks like. [Read more 🡒]