The North Carolina Tar Heels could land a quarterback who led his conference in passing yards in the transfer portal.
Last year, the North Carolina Tar Heels plucked a quarterback from a Sun Belt team in the transfer portal, stealing Gio Lopez from South Alabama.
Could North Carolina return to that well this winter?
It's a possibility, as Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor has entered the transfer portal and could make sense for the Tar Heels as a Lopez replacement.
Raynor led the Sun Belt with 3,361 passing yards in 2025, adding 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 66.5 percent of his throws. He also rushed for 423 yards and seven scores.
Because Raynor is a North Carolina native, he may have interest in taking his talents to Chapel Hill, and considering how much of a disappointment Lopez was in 2025, the Tar Heels may be interested in bringing in some quarterback competition.
Raynor arrived at Arkansas State in 2023 and became a full-time starter for the Red Wolves, finishing with 2,550 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven picks during his freshman campaign. He followed that up by throwing for 2,738 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2024.
Jaylen Raynor. Credit: Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK.At six feet tall and 202 pounds, Raynor definitely doesn't have elite size for the position, but he is a solid dual threat and could comprise an upgrade over Lopez.
The question, though, is whether or not UNC would want to try another Sun Belt signal-caller after watching Lopez tally under 2,000 yards passing this past season.
Raynor and Lopez are two different players, but it's hard to ignore the fact that they posted somewhat similar numbers during their respective final seasons with their Sun Belt teams.
The problem for North Carolina is that because of its thin receiving corps, it may be difficult to coax the upper echelon quarterbacks in the portal to join the Tar Heels.
Outside of Jordan Shipp, UNC does not have a single proven wide receiver, so Bill Belichick will to address that this winter, as well.
So should North Carolina decide to pursue another quarterback, Raynor could represent a realistic possibility, even if he isn't the most attractive option overall.
The Tar Heels went just 4-8 this past season, failing to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2018.