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Bill Belichick made his choice at quarterback. Outside expectations for that choice remain modest. North Carolina named Billy Edwards Jr. its starter for the 2026 season opener against TCU, giving the experienced transfer responsibility for reviving an offense that struggled throughout Belichick’s debut season.
USA Today subsequently placed Edwards in the bottom tier of its preseason ACC quarterback rankings, a sobering assessment for a Tar Heels program attempting to rebound from a 4-8 finish.
The ranking reflects the uncertainty surrounding Edwards more than a complete lack of ability. He has proven capable of producing at the Power Four level, but a knee injury cost him nearly the entire 2025 season at Wisconsin.
Belichick now is betting that a healthy Edwards can recapture his previous form.
Bill Belichick Chooses Experience At Quarterback
Edwards won North Carolina’s competition over Texas A&M transfer Miles O’Neill and will start against TCU on Aug. 29 in Dublin, Ireland. The sixth-year quarterback brings substantially more experience than his competition. Edwards started 11 games for Maryland in 2024, completing 65% of his passes for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also has displayed value as a runner throughout his college career.
His anticipated opportunity at Wisconsin ended almost immediately. Edwards injured his knee during the 2025 opener and attempted only 16 passes all season. That lost year explains some of the skepticism entering his North Carolina debut.
Multiple preseason evaluations have positioned Edwards near the bottom of the ACC’s quarterback hierarchy. CBS Sports ranked him 14th among the conference’s projected starters, while other outlets have placed him in a similar range. The repeated doubts give Belichick and Edwards an obvious opportunity to outperform expectations.
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North Carolina Needs Billy Edwards To Deliver
Belichick overhauled his quarterback room after North Carolina’s disappointing first season under the former New England Patriots coach. The Tar Heels also hired Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator, creating an intriguing partnership between two of football’s most experienced and recognizable coaches. Petrino’s history of developing quarterbacks could help Edwards make the most of his final college season.
North Carolina needs immediate improvement.
The Tar Heels finished 4-8 in Belichick’s first year and opened that season with a humbling 48-14 loss to TCU. The rematch in Ireland gives the program an opportunity to demonstrate that its extensive offseason changes produced meaningful progress.
Edwards does not need to become the ACC’s best quarterback for North Carolina to improve. He must remain healthy, protect the football and provide stability to an offense that rarely found it last season.
His placement in the conference’s bottom tier nevertheless underscores the size of Belichick’s gamble.
Miami’s Darian Mensah, NC State’s C.J. Bailey and SMU’s Kevin Jennings enter the season with established production and significant expectations. Edwards enters with a surgically repaired knee, a new offense and plenty to prove.
Belichick has built his career around finding value where others see limitations. His new quarterback now represents the latest test of that philosophy. If Edwards exceeds his modest preseason billing, North Carolina could become one of the ACC’s biggest surprises. If the ranking proves accurate, Belichick’s second season might resemble his first.
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