Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels have been connected to a very intriguing Big 12 quarterback in the transfer portal.
The North Carolina Tar Heels' quarterback situation is definitely in flux right now, as Gio Lopez was very disappointing in 2025 and former four-star recruit Bryce Baker as decided to bolt Chapel Hill.
North Carolina did manage to sign another four-star commit in Travis Burgess earlier this month, but questions still remain about the future of the quarterback position for the Tar Heels.
There are some who feel that Bill Belichick will pursue an answer in the transfer portal, and Brandon Griffin of Tar Heel Blog has offered a very compelling option: TCU Horned Frogs star Josh Hoover.
"When picking the quarterback here, I first looked at guys with prototypical size, as that would be important in running any under-center NFL style offense (I am sticking with this concept, as this is what we have all been told the team wants to run)," Griffin wrote. "Hoover, who obviously had the monster game against the Tar Heels, made too much sense at 6’2” and 200 lbs."
Hoover has revealed his decision to enter the transfer portal after throwing for 3,472 yards, 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 65.9 percent of his passes this season. North Carolina saw him in its season-opening loss to TCU, when Hoover went 27-for-36 with 282 yards, a couple of touchdowns and a pick.
Josh Hoover. Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.The 21-year-old arrived at TCU in 2022 and began earning significant playing time as a redshirt freshman the following year. He then broke out in 2023, totaling 3,949 yards, 27 touchdowns and 11 picks while completing 66.5 percent of his throws.
Hoover is definitely one of the more dangerous quarterbacks in the country and clearly isn't afraid to challenge defenses, as evidenced by the fact that he has tossed 24 interceptions over the last couple of seasons.
The Rockwall, TX native is a bit of a gunslinger, although the primary concern there is that he doesn't have genuinely elite arm strength to fit most throws into tight windows. So perhaps he will have to be a bit more careful moving forward.
Regardless, Hoover should comprise a significant upgrade over Lopez, who showed signs of progress during the second half of 2025, but struggled for most of the year and didn't even reach 2,000 yards passing.
Belichick should definitely take a long, hard look at Hoover once the transfer portal window opens on Jan. 2.