UNC's Petrino on Travis Burgess: ‘Ceiling Is Very High’

The freshman quarterback has caught the attention of the Tar Heels' offensive coordinator early in training camp.

Nov 22, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks interim head coach Bobby Petrino looks at his notes during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Training camp has finally arrived for the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday, with the players and coaches taking the field.

A major storyline heading into training camp has been the quarterback competition. Following Thursday's practice, offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino spoke on each of the signal-callers, but his praise for Travis Burgess was eye-opening, to say the least.

Petrino's Thoughts

Nov 29, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks interim head coach Bobby Petrino prior to a game against the Missouri Tigers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• “He’s a tremendous athlete. He’s got a quick release, strong arm,” Petrino said. “He impressed me with how hard he’s worked in his ability to step in the huddle, call the play, picture the play in his mind, and go through his progression.”

Despite being a true freshman, Burgess is generally viewed as the most talented player in the quarterback room. He may have an uphill battle to win the starting job, but Petrino acknowledged that Burgess possesses elite potential.

• “I think the talent level is very, very high. The ceiling is very high,” Petrino explained. “We need to see him more in action, and how quickly you learn, how quickly you can handle protections, how quickly you can handle blitz. Things that he wasn’t able to do in spring are still like question marks on how he’ll do."

• “I was impressed with him [Thursday]. I liked the way he approached practice. I could tell that he really worked hard on that. We had a couple of long, too-many-syllable calls [Thursday]. He handled them well, so he certainly practiced doing it, and that shows a lot.”

Overall Takeaways

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Throughout the offseason, I have made it well known that if Burgess shows enough during training camp, he should be named the Week 1 starter. By all accounts, signs point to Billy Edwards Jr. ultimately starting the season opener. However, head coach Bill Belichick and the coaching staff need to consider the freshman signal-caller for the job.

As much as Belichick's track record shows that he is unwilling to give young players the first crack, sometimes talent is too much to overlook. With all due respect, Edwards Jr. and Miles O'Neill are not compelling and inspiring options for North Carolina's quarterback situation. Yes, they technically have more experience than Burgess, but quite frankly, not that much.

O'Neill has attempted 20 passes across his first two years at Texas A&M, while Edwards Jr.'s resume is quite pedestrian despite having four years under his belt. After starting at Maryland in 2024, Edwards Jr. completed 7-of-16 pass attempts for 113 yards, with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions in 2025.

Burgess missed the entire spring with an injury and is an incoming freshman with no prior collegiate experience. Still, if Belichick wants a fighter's chance to extend his tenure in Chapel Hill to 2027, the 6-foot-3, 194-pound quarterback deserves every opportunity to earn the Week 1 starting job.