Should the Tar Heels stick with Billy Edwards Jr. as the team's QB?
The North Carolina Tar Heels fell short of going on the road to take down the Clemson Tigers last week, despite the team holding a large halftime lead.
North Carolina was up 17-6 entering the third quarter, but they just couldn't fend off the Tigers in what ended up being a disappointing game all around. The Tar Heels know that they let a prime opportunity to get a big ACC road win slip away, and this could end up haunting them the rest of the season.
Overall, the Tar Heels are 2-1 on the season now, with multiple tough games remaining on the schedule. North Carolina is off this week before they get ready for a showdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
But as the team takes this week off to recover from the loss to Clemson, the question about the quarterback position has come up. Billy Edwards Jr. has played okay for the Tar Heels to start his tenure with the team, but he hasn't been able to do enough.
For the year, Edwards has thrown for 611 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Edwards isn't the main reason why North Carolina lost to Clemson, but he didn't play overly well.
And if this Tar Heels team is going to put together a strong run the rest of the season. Edwards is going to have to step up. Edwards, a sixth-year senior, transferred to North Carolina this offseason from Wisconsin, but most of his college career came at Maryland.
The best season of his career came in 2024 with Maryland, where he threw for 2,881 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Edwards is going to have to do much better as the season goes on for the Tar Heels; otherwise, this could end up being another wasted season.
North Carolina doesn't have many better options, making Edwards the best choice. But he will need to prove himself going forward, starting with the game against Notre Dame.
Head coach Bill Belichick wants to make a statement in his second season, and while the team is 2-1, the year could easily turn on this group. North Carolina still has games against Louisville, Miami, and the aforementioned Fighting Irish.
North Carolina should easily win eight games this season, but with the loss to Clemson, it could be much tougher now. If Edwards can't get it together, the Tar Heels could turn to backup Miles O'Neill, who doesn't have much experience after transferring from Texas A&M.
For now, it's Edwards job, but if he can't get the offense going more consistently, Belichick may have his hands tied.
