North Carolina HC Bill Belichick is used to headlines. After bidding adieu to the New England Patriots, the media covered the same for weeks. However, ever since the UNC saga began, Belichick has been in the news not for the X’s and O’s, but for his personal life.
Belichick, now 73, is in a relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson. The optics, and most notably, Hudson’s growing influence in Belichick’s day-to-day football life, have raised a lot of questions about the two. But amid all the noise of controversy, Belichick is still coaching a football team. How does this portal pickup affect the Tar Heels’ 2025 outlook?
Bill Belichick Proves He’s Still Got It With Bold Gio Lopez Transfer
If the world had doubts about whether Bill Belichick could still work his magic at the college level, consider them silenced. In his latest move as head coach, he has recruited quarterback Gio Lopez out of the spring transfer portal. Lopez is a 6’2″ dual-threat from South Alabama.
Excited and grateful, go Heels!🐏 @UNCFootball pic.twitter.com/1qpdXxsHXa
— Gio Lopez 7️⃣ (@lopezgio1) April 18, 2025
Lopez is ranked the No. 6 overall player in ESPN’s spring portal rankings and drew some attention from major programs, like Georgia and LSU. In the end, though, UNC and Belichick were the ones who managed to close the deal. That alone shows this isn’t some washed-up version of the coach.
Lopez, after all, also threw for over 2,500 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. On top of that, he ran for 465 yards and punched in seven more scores with his legs. That versatility could change UNC’s game, especially after their 6-7 season. A season that ended with a bowl loss to UConn.
Now, with defenders like Beau Atkinson and Amare Campbell leaving, the team needed a jolt. And Lopez is just that. UNC’s quarterback room was looking rather precarious before Lopez. But why is that?
Well, Max Johnson was returning from injury. Ryan Browne hit the portal, and freshman Bryce Baker is still learning the ropes. So, Lopez walks in not just as a contender, but as the front-runner. And he does so with a reported $4 million deal over two years.
Evidently, Bill Belichick sees him as more than just a placeholder. But this recruitment is not just about talent. It is also about timing. Belichick made this move quickly and confidently, showing he still has an eye for talent and a finger on the pulse of college football’s evolving landscape.
So while the tabloids obsess over pageants and alleged proposals, Belichick reminded everyone that he’s still building winners. And if Lopez delivers the way many think he will, the narrative might shift from whispers about Hudson to whispers about North Carolina being at the ACC party.
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