An overlooked FCS quarterback could be exactly what UNC needs

North Carolina will be shopping for help at several positions, especially on offense, where it needs reinforcements at wide receiver and along the offensive line.

Despite Gio Lopez returning, along with two other scholarship quarterbacks in redshirt freshman Au’Tori Newkirk and incoming freshman Travis Burgess, the Tar Heels could still look to add a quarterback. Lopez struggled mightily last season, and the other two lack real experience in the pocket at the college level.

So who could they pursue? Some will point to DJ Lagway, which feels unrealistic considering the amount of SEC money that will be coming his way. Others will clamor for former Rolesville High star Byrum Brown, but it is far more likely he follows his head coach, Alex Golesh, from South Florida to Auburn. And if you are focused on Brown, you might be looking at the wrong quarterback from Rolesville.

Who, then? His name is Braden Atkinson.

Chances are, you have no idea who that is. For Bill Belichick and his staff, that might actually be a good thing.

NEW: Mercer standout QB Braden Atkinson plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, @Hayesfawcett3 reports.

Atkinson totaled 3,611 passing yards and 34 touchdowns this season. https://t.co/kSYG7dYADjpic.twitter.com/ysBv1Uk7cT

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) December 12, 2025

As a true freshman starter at Mercer last season, Atkinson guided the Bears to the FCS playoffs, throwing for 3,611 yards with 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He captured the Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman in the FCS — an honor previously won by Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. Atkinson was also voted Southern Conference freshman of the year and earned second-team All-SoCon recognition.

He rewrote Mercer’s record book in the process, setting single-season marks for pass attempts, passing touchdowns and passing yards. He also shattered the single-game records for passing yards and passing touchdowns, throwing for 533 yards and five scores in a 62-0 rout of VMI.

In case you missed it…Braden Atkinson 🤝 National Freshman of the Year 🙂‍↕️🙌#WeOverMepic.twitter.com/JYT3gl2keh

— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) December 5, 2025

Because he has been so under the radar, his name has not surfaced much with major programs. The only school consistently linked to him so far is Toledo, largely because his Mercer coach, Mike Jacobs, recently took the job there.

That should change once the portal opens Jan. 2. If I am Carolina, Atkinson is one of, if not the very first, quarterbacks I am calling.

You might ask: Why take a quarterback who played at the FCS level?

Well, Ward and Sanders were standouts in the FCS before becoming stars at the FBS level and eventual NFL starters. There are plenty of other examples of quarterbacks who came from outside the Power Five and succeeded in the league — Joe Flacco, Steve McNair, Tony Romo and Kurt Warner, to name a few.

Ole Miss just had its best season in nearly 60 years and reached the College Football Playoff quarterfinals with a former Division II quarterback in Trinidad Chambliss.

And with the transfer portal heavily disrupting high school recruiting, it is easier than ever for a player like Atkinson to slip past FBS programs.

If you are North Carolina, why would you not aggressively pursue a quarterback like Atkinson, who grew up 45 minutes from your campus? He would get to play close to home, earn solid NIL money and possibly work with Bobby Petrino — one of the best offensive minds college football has seen, a coach who has put multiple quarterbacks in the NFL — in addition to Bill Belichick.

This could be an easy win for UNC. Given how much the Tar Heels struggled with the vertical passing game last season, Atkinson might be the missing piece to jump-start the offense.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Football: Why an under-the-radar FCS QB makes sense