Four UNC Offensive Playmakers Poised for 2025 Leap

With major departures on offense, these four Tar Heels are ready to emerge as key playmakers in Bill Belichick’s debut season.

Sep 28, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Davion Gause (21) runs with the ball during the first half of the game against Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

North Carolina has been consistently one of the ACC's top offenses, but last season it dipped a bit even with a talent like Omaraion Hampton in the backfield.

There is pessissim if it will improve this. Hampton is off to the NFL, and four of your five pass catchers from last season. In total, UNC will have seven new starters, a transfer quarterback - while talented - is unproven against Power Four competition and over 55% of the receprions and yardage are lost.

However, there are several players that could have big breakout seasons on the offensive side of the ball that could bring much needed confidence heading into the season after a disappointing 2024 campaign that saw UNC finish with a 6-7 record.

Here are the four players that could have a breakout season in the first year of the Bill Belichick era in Chapel Hill.

QB Gio Lopez, R-Soph. (6-0, 203)

Given that it was announced he would be one of four players representing North Carolina at the ACC Kickoff on Thurs., July 24, Lopez is the presumptive starting quarterback for the Tar Heels going into the 2025 campaign.

As a freshman starting quarterback for South Alabama last season, he completed 66% of his passes for 2,559 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 463 yards and seven touchdowns.

He is a dangerous deep-ball passer, finishing with a 91.0 Pro Football Focus grade on throws of 20 or more yards — one of the best marks in the country. He completed 42% of those attempts, a strong rate for a low-percentage throw, totaling 760 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions.

RB Davion Gause, Soph. (5-11, 215)

Gause got some decent reps as the backup running back after Hampton. He carried the ball 67 times for 326 yards and reached paydirt four times.

Even with the lack of reps, Gause rushed for nearly five yards per carry, gained 3.57 yards after contact and broke 13 tackles last season. Not bad for someone who only had 67 totes last season.

TE Jake Johnson, R-Jr. (6-6, 240)

The former No. 1 tight end in the country for the Class of 2022 has had an up-and-down career so far.

After a breakout sophomore season at Texas A&M in 2023 — totaling 24 catches for 235 yards and four touchdowns — Johnson followed his older brother Max to Chapel Hill. But his first year in Carolina blue didn’t go as planned.

Not only did he watch his older suffer a season-ending injury in the season opener but his snaps decreased as he had 202 offensive snaps, most of which were run blocks. He had 248 snaps on pass plays alone in 2023 at Texas A&M.

Regardless, Johnson is still a talented player and has a chance to have a bounce-back season as he will get more reps this season. Also, he has glue hands as he only has one drop in 38 pass targets thoughout his career.

OL Will O'Steen, R-Sr. (6-4, 300)

It's not common you see an offensive lineman on a preseason breakout player list but O'Steen could be the best transfer pull on the offensive side for UNC.

O'Steen was a three-year starter at Jacksonville State, logging more than 2,700 snaps. He was a two-time All-Conference USA selection, earning first-team honors in 2024. O'Steen also helped lead the Gamecocks to back-to-back top-five rushing seasons, ranking fifth nationally in 2023 (232.2 yards per game) and third in 2024 (251.2 yards per game).

O'Steen will be the starter at right or left tackle for UNC this fall.