CHAPEL HILL — UNC football’s Gio Lopez will be the first starting quarterback for head coach Bill Belichick in the future Hall of Famer’s debut season with the Tar Heels .

Ever since Lopez arrived on campus in mid-April as a South Alabama transfer, sophomore wide receiver Jordan Shipp and his teammates have been referring to Lopez as a Hall of Famer in another sport.

“We call him Magic Johnson,” Shipp said with a smile, referring to one of the NBA’s all-time great point guards and a player who led the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships. Buy UNC football tickets

As a 6-foot, 205-pound left-handed quarterback, Lopez doesn’t match the frame of Johnson, who was a 6-foot-9, 220-pound force of nature during his prime in the NBA. But Shipp pointed to Lopez’s playmaking as the comp

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