Bill Belichick, UNC Land Commitment from South Alabama QB Gio Lopez in Transfer Portal

Bill Belichick and North Carolina got a major addition to their roster out of the transfer portal on Thursday.

South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez, considered to be a 3-star transfer prospect by 247Sports, announced his commitment to the Tar Heels on social media.

Lopez entered the transfer portal in the winter, but ultimately decided to return to South Alabama. Earlier this week, he reentered the transfer portal and quickly emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the spring window.

Lopez, who is from Madison, Alabama, was considered to be a 3-star prospect and the No. 63 quarterback in the Class of 2023 by 247Sports Composite. He appeared in five games as a true freshman, starting the 68 Ventures Bowl against Eastern Michigan, where he completed 14 of his 19 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns along with 88 rushing yards and a score on the ground.

He became the Jaguars' starting quarterback in his redshirt freshman season a year ago, throwing for 2,559 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions in 11 starts. He added 465 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

One of his most impressive performances at South Alabama came in the team's Week 1 loss to North Texas when he tallied 494 yards of total offense, a program record for a single game.

While Belichick will likely spend the coming months evaluating his quarterback options, it's fair to assume Lopez could get the starting nod this fall. North Carolina's quarterback room features a freshman in Bryce Baker and senior Max Johnson, who played just one game last year before a season-ending injury. Quarterback Ryan Browne, who transferred to North Carolina from Purdue in December, entered the transfer portal earlier this week.