Locals can help Heisman Trophy hopeful from Madison

MADISON – Never before has Madison had the opportunity to claim a local athlete is in contention for a Heisman Trophy. Now, residents of Madison and surrounding communities can help their lone candidate for the annual award by participating in and casting a vote on behalf of Gio Lopez where fan vote counts as an official Heisman ballot.

Lopez, starting quarterback for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, is the sixth highest rated quarterback in the country with an overall quarterback rating of 84.5. Through nine games, where Wake Forest is 9-1, ranked No. 14 in the most recent AP Poll and No. 16 in the CFP, the super talented Lopez has 2,201 total yards, 24 touchdowns, which is ninth in the country and is one of two quarterbacks with 20-plus touchdowns with just one turnover. Lopez was held out the Demon Deacons’ latest 77-0 win over Merrimack as a precautionary measure after suffering a lower-leg injury against Virginia two weeks ago. He’s expected to be back to control the throttle of the team’s offense this week against SMU.

Lopez, the former All-State player at James Clemens who played both football and baseball for the Jets’ athletic program, transferred to Wake Forest after one season at North Carolina and two seasons prior to that at South Alabama where he originally signed out of James Clemens. The 6-foot, 203-pound left-handed, fleet-footed athlete can run or throw the football. When he was asked which he preferred, he responded with a smile and said, “I’d rather throw.”

Fan support can handled by voting for Lopez at: https://godeacs.com/sports/2026/11/4/ h3isman.

“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, in his first-season as head coach of Wake Forest.

“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.

Besides being listed on the Maxwell Award and Manning Award watch lists, Lopez is in the top 10 in the country among nine major statistics. He’s highly rated in several complicated statistics. Those include: EPA- Expected Points Added: 1st- 68.3. This is assessed by points his play add to an offensive’s expected to score. PAA- Points Above Average: 1st- 68.2. Points contributed above an average play by quarterback.

RAW QBR- Raw Total QB Rating: 2nd- 90.4. Quarterback value on every play.

PFF Offense Grade: 4th-91.9. Overall grade on every offensive snap.

Johnny Johnson, head coach of the James Clemens baseball program and coach of Lopez while the student-athlete was in uniform as a Jet, sent an e-mail to the Madison City Schools administration requesting support on behalf of his former player and encouraging consideration of assistance on having citizens of Madison to vote for its former student- athlete. Johnson’s e-mail included, “Regardless of the outcome, having one of our former student-athletes in this conversation is something our entire community should be proud of. It’s also a great opportunity to show our current students what is possible when someone from James Clemens continues to pursue excellence beyond high school.”

It’s been reported Lopez’s take on a NIL is close to $1-million. He played 16 games at South Alabama (2023-2024), 11 at North Carolina (2025) and is well on his way to leading the Demon Deacons to a possible spot in the college football playoffs and a splendid 2026 season.