Wake Forest signs UNC transfer QB Gio Lopez in a move from one instate ACC school to another

By Canadian Press on January 8, 2026.

Gio Lopez is moving from one Atlantic Coast Conference school in North Carolina to another.

The quarterback who worked as the starter for Bill Belichick’s first college team at UNC has signed with Wake Forest ahead of Jake Dickert’s second season there. The Demon Deacons announced Lopez’s signing in a social-media post, meaning Lopez will go from South Alabama in 2024 to Chapel Hill in 2025, then move roughly 80 miles west to Winston-Salem.

The 6-foot Lopez started all 11 games he played last year, throwing for 1,747 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He was knocked early from the season-ending loss at rival N.C. State with a leg injury.

Wake Forest beat UNC in November, with Lopez throwing for 201 yards. The Tar Heels and Demon Deacons don’t play in 2026 as the ACC transitions into a nine-game scheduling model in league play.

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The Associated Press