Belichick’s trademark snark already showing in UNC’s QB battle

North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick doesn’t want anybody to know anything about the way he does things. He’s always been tight-lipped, and that’s been especially true as it relates to prying questions from the media.

Belichick’s “we’re onto Cincinnati” is an infamous line in the sports world, as is his disdain for allowing anybody to see how “the sausage is made.”

Perhaps, then, it’s no surprise that Belichick’s trademark snarkiness revealed itself in a Wednesday news conference for North Carolina. He was asked by a member of the media when he felt he’d be able to name the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback for 2025, and the legendary head coach responded with sarcasm.

“We’re getting ready to do that this afternoon — to announce the starting lineups and the play times and how we’ll be substituting everything,” Belichick joked, according to Chandler Vessels of On3. “So Brandon will get that to you as soon as we get done. We want to make sure we get that out there right away.”

That’s classic Belichick snark right there. North Carolina kicks off its 2025 campaign against TCU on Sept. 1, and Belichick doesn’t want the Horned Frogs to have any time to prepare for who will be the starting quarterback.

The Tar Heels will, of course, have to release a depth chart eventually, but you can bet that Belichick is going to slow-play his quarterback competition as long as possible.

Max Johnson, son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson, and South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez are the two players in the running for the job. Johnson missed most of last season with a devastating leg injury he suffered in UNC’s first game. He’s had previous stops at LSU and Texas A&M as a starter.

Lopez threw for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns with five interceptions last season for South Alabama. He also rushed for 465 yards and seven touchdowns.