Former James Clemens Jet set to lead Wake Forest

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The twist and turns journey for Gio Lopez is still in progress. With no regrets from the redshirt-junior, the 22-year old, former three-star, First-Team All-State quarterback at James Clemens High, had his latest turn dropped him off in Winston-Salem, N.C. where he is expected to be the starting quarterback for the Demon Deacons at Wake Forest.

“When I first arrived here, I sensed the confidence level of my teammates, as it felt everyone had bought into the program,” said Lopez, at the recent Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Media Day.

The 6-foot, 203-pound left handed throwing signal caller came to Wake Forest from cross-state and ACC arch-rival North Carolina where Lopez played one season under the Tar Heels’ first-year head coach Bill Belichick, who spent 24 seasons as head coach of the NFL’s New England Patriots and guided his teams to six Super Bowl titles. At North Carolina, Lopez hit on 65-percent of his passes for 1,747 yards and 10 passing touchdowns while adding 137 yards and three scores on the ground. The Tar Heels were 4-8 under Belechick’s guidance and with Lopez under center.

At the completion of the 2025 season, Lopez began the job search that led him to Winston- Salem. For some, the move was controversial, but not so much for Lopez, who said, “To worry about where I came from doesn’t factor into how I feel towards Wake Forest. I think the thought process towards that is we’re underdogs, but we’re not worried about the rat poison of the social media. We just have to show up and be 1-0. If we can do that after our first game, then we’ll be perfectly fine.”

The travel log for Lopez began when he left James Clemens and signed with South Alabama where he played for the Jaguars in 2023 and 2024 earning accolades as a slinger of the football earning All-Sun Belt Conference. He made the choice to exit USA soon after his second season in Mobile and made his way first to North Carolina and now Wake Forest.

“Honestly, the adjustment was pretty smooth for me as the offensive coordinator here at Wake Forest was at South Alabama with me,” said Lopez. “The adjustment was being comfortable not having to feel so antsy about learning it ever so fast. I had the time to learn it, but I already knew it, so I was able to articulate what I wanted to the new transfers or to the new guys that came in. So, from day one, being able to communicate the offense to other guys was a big factor instead of me being so worried about learning it for myself.”

“For me, if I had to give a younger guy some rules about transfer portal, I would say just go somewhere you feel comfortable and where you feel truly wanted. If you feel like you’re just a number somewhere or you’re chasing financial gain, then that’s maybe your thing, but for me, playing for Coach Dickert has been a really positive light and just knowing that he knows me more than just I’m more than No. 3 on my jersey. It’s more than just a jersey number. He knows me as a person. He knows my family. He knows the way I operate and stuff like that. I say go somewhere you feel truly comfortable as a person.” “Gio is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country. I’ve been impressed with Gio’s ability, not just on the field, but his willingness to come into our football team and lead from the front,” said Jake Dickert, of his first-season squad that was 9-4 overall last season, including an impressive 43-29 win over Miss State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

“I think for me, just trying to be a leader was showing up and being the first guy in, last guy out, but also showing up early and at first being just a leader by example,” said Lopez, son of Barney and Dee Lopez and whose football greatness all started in Madison at James Clemens after he transferred from nearby Sparkman High. “You can’t ask for respect or have a vocal voice if you’re not doing the right things. So, making sure I’m doing all the right things. Then, with me doing that, in February and March being able to be a little more vocal because they know I’m doing the right thing. What I’m saying is how I live, how I operate. So I think that was kind of the thought process towards all that.”

Lopez apparently made the move due to the two new quarterbacks committed to being new players among the North Carolina roster. He joined the Demon Deacons, who beat the Tar Heels in their matchup in 2025, but will not play one another in 2026 due to the ACC transferring into a nine-game scheduling model in conference play.

Lopez can run or throw the football. When he was asked which he preferred, he responded with a smile and said, “I’d rather throw.”