This North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback has received some bad news after being acquired via the transfer portal.
When the North Carolina Tar Heels landed quarterback Billy Edwards via the transfer portal, the general consensus was that he was almost a sure thing to win the starting job heading into 2026.
Things have since changed.
North Carolina has added two quarterbacks since securing a commitment from Edwards, bagging Miles O'Neill as well as record-setting signal-caller Taron Dickens.
While Edwards might still be the favorite given his experience in the Big Ten (he played for both Maryland and Wisconsin), he is not a guarantee to open up 2026 under center for the Tar Heels.
In fact, Brad Crawford of CBS Sports says that things will be completely up for grabs in camp.
"North Carolina opens spring practice March 4 with what's expected to be a wide-open quarterback competition," Crawford wrote.
Edwards began his collegiate career at Maryland back in 2022 and spent three years with the Terrapins, serving as the team's starter in 2024.
That season, Edwards threw for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 65 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 148 yards and five scores.
Billy Edwards. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.Edwards then transferred to Wisconsin, where he proceeded to suffer a torn PCL during his first game in 2025.
Even though the 23-year-old is about to be a fifth-year senior, he doesn't really have much of a track record, having totaled 19 passing touchdowns and 10 picks throughout his NCAA tenure.
Meanwhile, O'Neill served as a backup at Texas A&M in 2024 and 2025 and will be entering his redshirt sophomore campaign. He has gone 12-for-20 with 171 yards, a couple of touchdowns and a pair of picks in limited action.
Then, there is Dickens, an incoming redshirt junior who threw for 3,508 yards, 38 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 74.2 percent of his passes at Western Carolina in 2025.
Dickens set an NCAA record by completing 46 straight passes in a win over Wofford back in October, going 53-for-56 overall during the game.
It will certainly be interesting to see who Bill Belichick ultimately chooses as his starting quarterback for 2026. Edwards is probably the favorite, but you also cannot discount the absurdly-accurate Dickens.
Tar Heels Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things North Carolina Tar Heels. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.