Stance on Bill Belichick’s Move for $13.85M Controversial Star Cleared Amid UNC’s 3653-Yd QB Transfer Portal Addition

If there’s one man who understands what a QB can do for a program, it’s Bill Belichick. Six Super Bowl rings with Tom Brady says enough. And now, as he plants his flag in Chapel Hill, he’s making moves that screams one thing — the QB room at UNC is getting a full-on makeover. The Tar Heels have a wild offseason at QB. They lost four scholarship guys including the latest being Ryan Browne. And it’s not a secret. Bill Belichick is in rebuild mode and he’s been here before, just not in college. And he knows how to win and it always starts under center. That’s why eyes turned when a certain 5-star transfer popped up on UNC’s radar. 

In April 20’s episode on The Number One College Football Show, RJ Brown dropped a name that fits Bill Belichick and co. And that name is Georgia transfer Jaden Rashada, currently the No. 1 QB in the portal per 247Sports. “Rashad needed the reset,” Young said. “I think he got a lot of great experience. He got to play on a team that won the SEC championship and went deep into the college football playoff. He also got to see what it’s like to play on a really good program and he gets to go back into the portal and perhaps come out at a place where he could play right away and they would need him.” And that place, for Young, is UNC.

Jaden Rashada flashed real potential as a true freshman at Arizona State. He threw for 485 yards and four TDs in several starts in 2023. But then, he got lost in the sauce at Georgia this past season behind Carson Beck and Gunner Stockton. No wonder he entered the portal again. Per CBS Sports’ John Talty’s report, he’ll be visiting Chapel Hill on Wednesday. And yeah, you don’t want to forget the controversial $13M scene that went viral last May. 

Jaden Rashada was part of a full-blown legal battle with Florida. We’re talking about the $13.85 million NIL deal that was promised and pulled. He filed a federal lawsuit against HC Billy Napier, Gators booster Hugh Hathcock, and former staff Marcus Castro-Walker. Controversial much? Yep. But cleared to play? Also yes. And here’s the interesting part. RJ Young thinks this guy could be Bill Belichick’s “slam dunk.” “Land that dude, get the number one quarterback in the portal and let him compete with Bryce Baker, with Gio Lopez, with Max Johnson for the starting job,” he boldly suggested. “And you could be off and running to what could be a very cool era of football at North Carolina.” Now here’s the twist. 

Is Bill Belichick landing Gio Lopez opening more doors?

Just a few days ago, Gio Lopez landed in Chapel Hill. And this kid’s the real deal. The 6’2, 220-pounder was a weapon at South Alabama in 2024 — 2,559 yards and 18 TDs while also adding 465 yards and seven scores on the ground. In 2023, he saw limited playing time but still passed for 475 yards and rushed for 154 yards becoming a 3,653 dual-threat QB over two seasons. That’s going to be QB1 energy. And Bill Belichick clearly thinks so too.

Gio Lopez is reportedly getting a 2-year, $4M deal with three seasons of eligibility. So you see, Bill Belichick is walking into his first year in college football with Lopez, true freshman Bryce Baker, and Max Johnson, who’s nursing an injury… and potentially Jaden Rashada. So if that’s the scenario, the Tar Heels’ got a QB room that rivals any in the ACC. And who knows, his first college experiment could become a must-see series. 

Because QB battles make programs. And nobody’s better at turning chaos into control than Bill Belichick.

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