Bill Belichick, UNC Land Wisconsin QB Billy Edwards Jr. in Transfer Portal

Belichick and the Tar Heels are making moves.

Former Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. committed to UNC in the transfer portal. / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

With signings from the transfer portal now officially starting up, North Carolina was the latest football program to land a star player for the 2026 season. On Sunday, former Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. visited Bill Belichick and UNC, and then reportedly committed to the program, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Edwards confirmed the commitment to On3.

The Tar Heels were looking for a new quarterback after Gio Lopez had a somewhat disappointing season as the team’s QB1. North Carolina went 4–8 this season. Edwards wasn’t named UNC’s new starting quarterback, but he’ll be in the running.

The 2026 season will be Edwards’s last year of NCAA eligibility, meaning he’ll end his college football career with the Tar Heels. He spent the first three yars of his career with Maryland before competing for Wisconsin last season.

However, Edwards’s 2025 season was cut very short as he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 against his former team, Maryland. He played just 34 snaps as the Badgers’ starting quarterback, so he’ll be coming off of a short season when arriving in Chapel Hill.

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In 2024 at Maryland, Edwards completed 65% of his passes for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 148 yards and five touchdowns. Edwards led Maryland to a 4–7 record as starter that season.

In turn, Wisconsin signed quarterback Colton Joseph from Old Dominion on Sunday, per Thamel. Joseph threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns, while running for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns. The quarterback finished eighth overall in the country in total yards, accounting for an average of 302.6 per game.

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