Ahead of his first season with the UNC football program, transfer quarterback Gio Lopez is simply ready to compete.
Serving as the projected starting quarterback heading into training camp, Lopez was in attendance as one of North Carolina's representatives for the ACC Kickoff event. The left-handed slinging quarterback was asked about a variety of questions, most notably his decision to transfer to North Carolina from South Alabama and the role new head coach Bill Belichick played in his decision.
"I mean, with his résumé, everything he's done, it speaks for itself. You can go on Google and search up how great of a coach he is. So, yeah, when you get the greatest head coach of all time talking to you, you pretty much just listen. But Coach Belichick just told me about the chance to compete, and that's all I wanted. I'm not asking for any handouts. I just want to compete, and he's given me that opportunity."
The change of scenery brought some drastic changes for Lopez. Since arriving on campus, Lopez has embraced the experience of being part of a true college town:
"When it comes to North Carolina, I love it. Chapel Hill, it's cool to be in a college town. South Alabama was awesome. But it wasn't as much of a college town. Being in Chapel Hill is a really cool experience."
In terms of football preparation, it's a bit of a difference when you're learning an offensive system under coaches who spent plenty of time on the NFL field. To help assist with this process, Lopez has been studying video clips of some notable NFL quarterbacks, including Tom Brady, the man who was the main guy under-center for the New England Patriots during the historic Bill Belichick era.
As expected, North Carolina is emulating an NFL style offensive system with Belichick at the helm and former Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens serving as the team's offensive coordinator:
"It's more of an NFL-like offense. It's different when you're at South Alabama. You're watching tape and you're bringing up South Alabama tape. And then when you turn on tape with Kitchens, it's the (New England) Patriots, or when he was the head coach with the (Cleveland) Browns. You're like, 'wow, I'm watching NFL guys, where I want to be, I'm watching them execute this play.' So it's been awesome learning from him. Especially him playing at Alabama (in college), he's had experience at the position."
For Lopez, the main goal is to come into his new situation with the UNC football program and compete. He had high praise for Max Johnson and Bryce Baker, the players he is competing with on a daily basis, as he emphasized that need for competition in order to help make the team better in the long run.
"As a competitor, you've got to love it. If you don't love competition, you shouldn't be playing football."
Lopez certainly said the right things during his media session at the ACC Kickoff event, showcasing a bit why Belichick and the UNC football program made such a heavy push to land him this offseason.
With training camp starting next week, it's time to compete.