How Billy Edwards Jr. went from 1,000 flashcards to QB1 for UNC football

CHAPEL HILL — Billy Edwards Jr. has played more than 1,000 snaps as a college quarterback, but he leaned on 1,000 flashcards to become UNC football's starting quarterback.

In his first press conference as UNC football ’s starting quarterback, Edwards broke down his journey from the Big Ten to Chapel Hill, where he hopes to experience a bounce-back year with Bill Belichick and Bobby Petrino after an injury-shortened season at Wisconsin in 2025.

“For me, I’m a rep guy. I need to write it down 1,000 times,” said Edwards, who will start for the Tar Heels against TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium in Ireland. “I want to see it, I want to go walk through it by myself. I’ve always enjoyed that challenge of trying to learn a new system.”

Give some credit to his parents for that process, particularly his mother. Billy Edwards Sr. coached high school football for more than three decades and Elizabeth Edwards remains a teacher.

“I think I got a blend of those two,” Edwards said.

“I have a little bit of a type A personality. I like to be organized, I like to have my stuff in order. So I definitely have some of my mom in me. I think that’s where I get all the flashcards. I go home and take a million of her office supplies to make sure I’ve got all the stuff I need to learn a new system.”

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Since arriving at UNC, Edwards has been “trying to get in Coach Petrino’s head” with constant drilling through flashcards so he can learn what the Tar Heels want to accomplish offensively.

“It’s kind of humbling when you come in at 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."

Consistency, experience gave Billy Edwards Jr. advantage in UNC QB battle

Consistency was the buzzword throughout Billy Edwards Jr.’s 15-minute session with media members. It’s something Edwards continued to tell himself throughout the offseason and something Belichick mentioned after naming Edwards QB1 on Aug. 21.

“I think just be consistent,” Edwards said when asked what he thinks separated him from the Tar Heels’ other QBs in fall camp.

“I think that was the biggest thing going into it. What I’ve learned throughout my time in college, at any of my three previous stops, was just being consistent as a quarterback and making the right decision.”

A phrase that sticks with Edwards is “mitigating risk,” a trait that is pivotal to the success of QBs.

“Coach Belichick always says, ‘We can go forward, and the only way you can go forward is by not going backward,’ ” Edwards said, noting the importance of limiting negative plays.

Now at “100 percent” and feeling “great” after spraining the PCL in his left knee at Wisconsin, Edwards no longer wears a knee brace that was a sore sight during spring practice.

Despite playing just 34 snaps with the Badgers, Edwards has earned the respect of his new teammates because of his experience.

“I think one of the things that helped (Edwards) was his experience,” wide receiver and captain Jordan Shipp said of the QB battle. “The one thing you can’t teach is experience. He’s been playing for so long and understands a lot of different stuff. There’s not too many coverages that he hasn’t seen.”

Syracuse transfer Derek McDonald, another captain for the Tar Heels, has seen it from the other side as a linebacker trying to diagnose what Edwards wants to do in practice.

“You can tell he’s an experienced quarterback when you play him. He knows how to go through his reads,” McDonald said.

“Even in 7-on-7, when we would just be out there messing around, he would mess with the linebackers and try to move us off the spot a little bit. He’s played a lot of football. He’s an experienced quarterback and I think a lot of guys will have confidence being around him and knowing that we’re going in with him as the starter.”

The flashcards paid off in the offseason. Now Edwards and the Tar Heels get to see if that studying leads to success in Dublin against TCU.

Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: How Billy Edwards Jr. went from 1,000 flashcards to QB1 for UNC football