North Carolina will kick off both Bill Belichick's second campaign and the entire college football season in Dublin against TCU in Week 0. Now, we know who its starting quarterback will be in that matchup.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that journeyman quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. has won the starting job. He defeated fellow transfer Miles O'Neill, who came from Texas A&M and had familiarity with offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino's system.
Edwards enters his sixth season of college football and is at his fourth power-conference school. He began his career at Wake Forest, redshirting as a true freshman before transferring to Maryland. With the Terrapins, he started 14 games over three years, including 11 in 2024.
Sources: North Carolina has named veteran transfer Billy Edwards Jr. the team’s starter for the opener, and he’ll debut for the Tar Heels against TCU in Ireland. Edwards won a close battle with Miles O’Neill, a Texas A&M transfer who has familiarity with new OC Bobby Petrino. pic.twitter.com/r0hLBVzgoJ
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 18, 2026
He transferred to Wisconsin last season but appeared in just two games as a knee injury ended his campaign. He was granted a medical redshirt following the season and entered the transfer portal once again.
In 28 career appearances, Edwards has thrown for 3,435 yards with 62.1 percent completion, 19 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also has 13 career touchdowns on the ground.
The Tar Heels went 4-8 last season after another transfer quarterback, Gio Lopez, didn't work out. As they try to bounce back in Year 2 under Belichick, they'll hope Edwards still has some solid play left in the tank.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: UNC names journeyman transfer starting quarterback for 2026 season