The North Carolina Tar Heels finally have their 2026 starting quarterback, with Wisconsin transfer Billy Edwards Jr. getting the nod.
Edwards is a high-risk play, given an injury that kept him out most of 2025, but he is also UNC's most experienced option under center. Edwards previously started all of 2024 for Maryland, while Texas A&M transfer Miles O'Neill has no starts through two seasons.
With Edwards now the guy, how does he stack up against the other ACC gunslingers? In USA TODAY Sports' rankings of all 17 ACC quarterbacks, Edwards lands 16th, ahead of just Boston College's Mason McKenzie.
"The former Wisconsin Badger never got the chance to show what he could do in Madison, as his 2025 season was hampered by a knee injury," Eddie Timanus
writes. "He did have some success at his prior stop at Maryland, but his running ability was a big part of his game. Whether he can rescue the Bill Belichick experiment in Chapel Hill remains to be seen."
During his 2024 campaign as the Terrapins' starter, Edwards completed 273 passes for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns, while adding 15 rushing yards and five additional scores. In his first collegiate start the season prior, Edwards earned Music City Bowl MVP honors, leading Maryland that year with seven rushing touchdowns.
Wake Forest starterGio Lopez, Edwards' predecessor at North Carolina, is ranked 14th. Lopez was ineffective in 2025, failing to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark, but the Demon Deacons provide him a much-healthier atmosphere.
You'll first watch Edwards in Carolina Blue on Saturday, August 29 at 12 p.m., when the Tar Heels face TCU in a rematch of their 2025 season-opener. Can Edwards hold onto the starting QB gig throughout 2026?
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: USA TODAY Sports isn't high on UNC football quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.
