Billy Edwards Jr. set to start at QB for UNC after injury-shortened year at Wisconsin

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Billy Edwards Jr. figures his job is just to keep North Carolina’s offense consistently moving forward, even if it's just one yard at a time. That approach explains the former Maryland and Wisconsin quarterback's mindset as the Tar Heels' starter in NFL coaching great Bill Belichick’s second college season.

“One of the phrases I got taught as a younger player that kind of stuck with me is mitigating risk,” Edwards said Monday. “Like coach Belichick always says: ’We can go forward, and the only way we can go forward is by not going backwards.”

Belichick named Edwards as his starting quarterback last Friday for this weekend’s Week Zero game against TCU in Dublin, Ireland, which will mark his return from an injury-shortened year with the Badgers.

Edwards started his career with a redshirt season at Wake Forest in 2021 before playing three seasons at Maryland, where he thew for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024. He transferred to Wisconsin last year looking for “a different fit,” only to appear in just two games.

Edwards suffered a knee sprain in the opener against Miami (Ohio) and missed two games. He then returned to play against his former Terrapins program, only to exit on his second series.

Edwards threw just 16 passes last season, then carried his focus on consistency into his recovery.

“In the portal, you’re evaluating the ’24 season,” Belichick said Monday. “That’s pretty much all you had other than that one game last year. But being here all spring was a big advantage for him.”

Edwards will be at the forefront of UNC’s offensive overhaul with the hiring of new coordinator Bobby Petrino after the Tar Heels fielded one of the nation’s worst offenses in Belichick’s debut season last year. Edwards said he leaned into “making like 1,000 flash cards” to study Petrino’s offense and make sure he had the playbook down pat.

The first quiz comes Saturday against the Horned Frogs, who beat UNC 48-14 in Belichick's college debut last September.

“It’s kind of humbling when you come in the beginning and you get new terminology and you get a new playbook,” Edwards said. “But I find it really fun, I find it really enjoyable.”

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