Today it was announced that Wisconsin transfer Billy Edwards committed to the Tar Heels. This announcement comes off the heels of a tumultuous season at the quarterback position, and the hope is that Bill Belichick has a potential candidate that can revive the most important position in football in order to have a bounce back year in 2026.
Edwards comes to UNC via Wake Forest, then Maryland, then Wisconsin. He played high school ball in Burke, Virginia, earning a recruiting grade of 73 (3 stars) from
ESPN. Edwards committed to Wake Forest, enrolling in December, 2020. He took a redshirt in the 2021 season.
A transfer to Maryland saw him back-up Taulia Tagovailoa for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, earning sporadic playing time and a couple of starts when Tagovailoa was injured. He earned the starter’s spot in 2024, passing for 2,881 yards with a 65% completion rate. He threw 15 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, taking 17 sacks. His QBR for his lone year as a starter was 58.3.
Edwards transferred to Wisconsin for the 2025 season. An injury in the opening game immediately sidelined him. He attempted to return for Wisconsin’s game against Maryland but reaggravated his injury and did not play the remainder of the season.
UNC’s offense struggled last season. Everyone contributed to those struggles, from Mike Lombardi to Bill Belichick to Freddie Kitchens to Matt Lombardi to Gio Lopez and everyone else who earned snaps on offense. Freddie Kitchens was fired, given $1.2 million to go away (UNC’s now paying him to be a staffer for Dabo Swinney at Clemson). Bobby Petrino was reported to in the process of being hired, and reports indicate Petrino is working in the football facilities. However, no formal announcement of his hiring has been made.
With the transfer portal opening Friday, all attention focused on who UNC might bring in to be the QB next season. Lopez seemed to gain traction the back half of the season, posting respectable QBR numbers in his final three games. However, fan discontent with Lopez had cemented to the point UNC likely would shop a new solution in the portal, and that was prior to Lopez breaking his leg in the game against NC State. With Bryce Baker transferring, that left a QB room of Lopez, Au’tori Newkirk, and incoming recruit Travis Burgess. Edwards fills the hole that was left, but we’ll see if he is good enough to compete for a starting spot on this roster.
Edwards has one year of eligibility remaining. His commitment to UNC means he will spend it working with Bobby Petrino to help resuscitate one of the worst offenses in college football last season. What are your thoughts on this addition at the most important position on the field? Let us know in the comments below.
