Transfer Portal Breakdown: Four QBs who could elevate UNC’s offense

North Carolina faces a tricky offseason as it works to replenish several key spots across the roster.

After a disastrous 4-8 finish in Bill Belichick’s first season, UNC has to attack the transfer portal. Blame falls not only on the coaching staff but also on general manager Mike Lombardi, who rebuilt the roster with 70 new players last year.

Quarterback is not an immediate crisis, but it still makes sense for North Carolina to explore options, especially with a new offensive coordinator — reportedly Bobby Petrino — on the way.

Gio Lopez, who reportedly received $2 million to come to Chapel Hill, struggled but will return. The other quarterbacks — redshirt freshman Au’tori Newkirk and incoming freshman Travis Burgess — are untested, and Bryce Baker, the crown jewel of the 2026 class, has entered the portal.

You could add a one-year transfer to stabilize the position, give younger quarterbacks time to develop and let the staff focus on landing a 2027 recruit, or pursue a proven starter with two or three years of eligibility to legitimize the program over the next few seasons.

I see four realistic quarterback targets for UNC, based on geography, experience, production and remaining eligibility. Here are the four quarterbacks I would most like to see Carolina pursue when the portal opens Jan. 2.

Byrum Brown, South Florida

Brown was a three-year starter at South Florida and a true dual-threat quarterback. He has completed 64.8% of his passes for 7,690 yards with 61 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, and rushed for 2,265 yards and 31 scores. In 2025, he earned second-team American Athletic Conference honors after throwing for 3,158 yards and 28 touchdowns with seven interceptions and rushing for more than 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns.

UNC’s pitch is helped by Brown’s roots in Rolesville, North Carolina, just 45 minutes from Chapel Hill. There is, however, a major obstacle.

Alex Golesh, Brown’s former coach at South Florida, now leads Auburn, a program desperate for a quarterback. Brown’s familiarity with Golesh and Auburn’s strong NIL resources likely make him a long shot for North Carolina.

Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State

Like Brown, Raynor is an experienced quarterback with dual-threat ability. Carolina should go after him also because he won’t shake up the quarterback room long term because has one-year of eligibility and he is also from Kernserville, which is an hour from UNC’s campus. 

Though Raynor is not the tallest player — listed at 6 feet, 204 pounds — he has thrown for 8,674 yards with 52 touchdowns and 28 interceptions, while rushing for 1,183 yards and 15 touchdowns over his three seasons as Arkansas State’s starting quarterback. He also was the Sun Belt Player of the Year in 2023.

Last season, he threw for 3,361 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while rushing for 423 yards and seven touchdowns. He threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns in Arkansas State's 34-28 victory over Missouri State in the Xbox Bowl on December 18.

Colton Joseph, Old Dominion

Staying on theme with dual-threat quarterbacks, Joseph could play a role for North Carolina similar to what Haynes King has been for Georgia Tech. The 2025 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the year totaled nearly 6,000 yards and 58 touchdowns over his two seasons as Old Dominion’s starting quarterback.

Joseph took over as the starter midway through his freshman year, throwing for 1,621 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 647 yards and 11 touchdowns in nine games (seven starts).

He turned that into one of the best single-season performances in ODU history, passing for 2,624 yards with 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns in 12 games. He also ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns against No. 1 Indiana in the season opener, a team that finished the regular season with the nation’s fourth-ranked defense.

Braden Atkinson, Mercer

Atkinson is someone I have been high on for some time, and he might be the best-kept secret in the portal.

As a true freshman starter at Mercer last season, the Rolesville native led the Bears to the FCS playoffs by throwing for 3,611 yards with 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also set multiple school records, including single-season marks for passing attempts, passing touchdowns and passing yards. He broke the single-game records for passing yards and passing touchdowns with 533 yards and five scores in a 62-0 win over VMI.

For his efforts, he won the Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman at the FCS level, was named Southern Conference freshman of the year and earned second-team All-SoCon honors.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Football: Four transfer portal targets at QB