Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-16vs Akron | 21/32 | 350 | 3 | 0 | 10.9 | 81.7 | Season-high 350 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 38-36@ Purdue | 16/27 | 225 | 1 | 0 | 8.3 | 90.3 | |
| Total | 37/59 | 575 | 4 | 0 | 9.6 | 86.0 |
#3
Giovanni Lopez
2,557 pass YDS, 2,500-yd club isn't a headline at Wake Forest anymore — it's just what Giovanni Lopez reliably is.
6′0″ · 203 lb · Madison, AL
CFB Index 36 · #107 of 146 QBsHigh confidencePOTY finalist (model)Transferred North Carolina → Wake Forest for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
On production he ranks #107 of 146 QBs; on reputation he is a projected national-award finalist. The gap between those two numbers is the story.
The numbers
575
passing yards · 2026
4 TD · 0 INT · 9.7 per attempt
2 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 432 yds · 3 TD -- top 1% passing yards game. -- Best game: 225 pass yds, 1 TD, 59 rush yds, at Purdue
The play that turned itSwung North Carolina from 12% to 44% to win.Duke at North Carolina · 32-25
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 quarterback for Wake Forest. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to South Alabama in 2023.
- Gio Lopez named Wake Forest QB1 (Aug 25) Reported
Aura™ · Him Watch
Underrated
-54aura tax
Fans rank this player in the 5th percentile of QBs; the tape says
60th pctl our passing-value metric (wEPA) QBs · 160 qualified, n=9
— the tape outruns the hype.Aura — fan perception5th pctl
Production — on-field60th pctl
n=9 mentions · cohort: QBs · 160 qualified · perception = conversation volume, production = our passing-value metric (wEPA)
Buzz vs Tape
Attention percentile: 6th · Production percentile: 60th
His production sits in the 60th percentile among qualified QBs this season, well ahead of 6th-percentile attention — a gap of 54 points between tape and volume.
6thattention percentile · vs QBs
60thproduction percentile · vs QBs
Giovanni Lopez
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-09-15
Giovanni Lopez is a cornerstone for Wake Forest — measured against the line he joined.
575PASS YDS4PASS TD98RUSH YDS
PASS YDS · 2,500-YD CLUB
2,557
2557 passing yards — clears the 2,500-QB volume bar.
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-15
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
The week the volume broke through — put up 44 yds at Charlotte.Charlotte · W 20-32025
20235 games
- Signed with South Alabama3-star out of James Clemens
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Badges
- Program Benchmark
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2024
Wake Forest
Coaching transition mid-career: Dave Clawson → Jake Dickert. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Wake Forest
2025North Carolina
2026Wake Forest
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023South Alabama7-6HC: Kane Wommack · Balanced
2024South Alabama7-6HC: Major Applewhite · Balanced
2025North Carolina4-8HC: Bill Belichick · Balanced, slow tempo
2026Wake Forest2-0HC: Jake Dickert · Run-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Elite: yards / att (92nd percentile). Strength: interceptions (92nd percentile). Concern: pass yards (23rd percentile).
Box-score rates (7)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Passing profile
Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)
Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from
59 of 59 attempts matched to play-by-play
58 of 59 attempts charted for true throw depth
Adjusted ANY/A
10.548 of 75 QBsSack rate
3.3%27 of 75 QBsRarely sacked (27 of 75 QBs) and still 8 of 75 in Adjusted ANY/A.
Adjusted ANY/A uses full-season box-score totals (attempts, yards, TDs, INTs); sack rate is play-by-play-derived.
Behind LOS · Negative air yds
19% of attempts (11)
73%comp
Air -3.4 · YAC 7.6 avg
Short · 0–9 air yds
41% of attempts (24)
62%comp
Air 5.2 · YAC 10.2 avg
Middle · 10–19 air yds
28% of attempts (16)
69%comp
Air 12.9 · YAC 3.7 avg
Deep · 20+ air yds
12% of attempts (7)
29%comp
Air 29.4 · YAC 26.0 avg
Overall 62.7% completion on 59 attempts · 41% of attempts thrown 0–9 air yds.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 288 YDS/g, 2.0 TD/g, 9.6 YPA, 0.0 INT/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jake Dickert
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
POTY finalist (model)
Our Heisman model has him in the top five; no finalist honor is on the books yet.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wake Forest | 37 | 59 | 62.7% | 575 | 9.7 | 4 | 0 | 166.9 | 71 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | North Carolina | 170 | 261 | 65.1% | 1,747 | 6.7 | 10 | 5 | 130.2 | 30 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | South Alabama | 205 | 311 | 65.9% | 2,557 | 8.2 | 18 | 5 | 150.9 | 51 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | South Alabama | 41 | 61 | 67.2% | 475 | 7.8 | 4 | 2 | 147.7 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 453 | 692 | 65.5% | 5,354 | 7.7 | 36 | 12 | 144.2 | 44 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wake Forest | 20 | 98 | 4.9 | 2 | -- |
| 2025 | North Carolina | 86 | 133 | 1.5 | 3 | -- |
| 2024 | South Alabama | 82 | 465 | 5.7 | 7 | -- |
| 2023 | South Alabama | 18 | 154 | 8.6 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 206 | 850 | 4.1 | 14 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 38–36
at Purdue
225 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 90.3 · 59 rush yds (13 car) · 2 TD
Edged out Purdue on the road in a shootout.
With E. Hyams — 42 AVG · 46 LONG · 2 NO · C. Calvert — 44 LONG · 100 PCT · 12 PTS
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · Akron · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +6.27(05:08) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 G.Lopez pass complete short left to #8 C.Hernandez caught at WFU26, for 78 yards to the AKR00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 04:57, 1ST DOWN #85 W.Loerzel pass attempt Successful
- Week 1 · Akron · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +5.86(11:48) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 G.Lopez pass complete deep middle to #14 A.Meeks caught at AKR47, for 72 yards to the AKR00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:39, 1ST DOWN #90 C.Calvert kick attempt good (H: #96 J.Ploszay, LS: #49 E.Gilmour)
- Week 1 · Akron · 2&16 · Q1 · EPA +3.72(13:13) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 G.Lopez pass complete short middle to #8 C.Hernandez caught at WFU27, for 34 yards to the AKR44 (#20 M.Flowers), 1ST DOWN, PENALTY AKR Face Mask (#20 M.Flowers) 15 yards from AKR44 to AKR29, 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Akron · 3&8 · Q1 · EPA +3.71(11:36) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 G.Lopez pass complete short middle to #5 K.Shanks caught at AKR11, for 27 yards to the AKR00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:32, 1ST DOWN #90 C.Calvert kick attempt good (H: #6 S.Pizzella, LS: #49 E.Gilmour)
- Week 2 · Purdue · 4&15 · Q6 · EPA +3.24(00:00) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 G.Lopez pass complete short right to #8 C.Hernandez caught at PUR07, for 15 yards to the PUR02 (#1 S.Bradford; #13 J.Slaughter), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN. The previous play is under automatic review - "First down". CALL OVERTURNED. (Original Play: (00:00) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 G.Lopez pass complete short right to #8 C.Hernandez caught at PUR08, for 14 yards to the PUR03 (#1 S.Bradford; #13 J.Slaughter), out of bounds, TURNOVER ON DOWNS)
- Week 2 · Purdue · 2&9 · Q5 · EPA +3.05Bryce Kania 24 Yd pass from Gio Lopez (Connor Calvert Kick)
- Week 1 · Akron · 3&6 · Q1 · EPA +2.95(07:33) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 G.Lopez pass complete short right to #8 C.Hernandez caught at WFU45, for 17 yards to the AKR43 (#3 A.Branch; #7 J.Jones), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Akron · 3&3 · Q2 · EPA +2.63(00:49) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 G.Lopez pass complete short middle to #8 C.Hernandez caught at WFU35, for 18 yards to the WFU50 (#32 D.Johnson; #23 D.Curtis), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Purdue · 2&9 · Q2 · EPA +2.62(08:03) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 G.Lopez pass complete deep left to #8 C.Hernandez caught at PUR37, for 25 yards to the PUR32 (#7 D.Saunders), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Purdue · 2&9 · Q1 · EPA +2.51(00:37) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 G.Lopez pass complete short middle to #8 C.Hernandez caught at WFU45, for 18 yards to the WFU50 (#7 D.Saunders; #4 H.Hines), 1ST DOWN
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Operates within the system without forcing anything.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Pocket Passer
Balanced passer who operates within the system, without one standout number carrying the profile.
QB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Brady McBride’s 2020 season.
82%match
Matches Brady on
Completion %
Yards / attempt
TD rate
Differs from Brady on
Class year (higher)
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Chandler Rogers’s path through UL Monroe.
90%match
Matches Chandler on
Height
Yards per attempt
Completion %
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Jaylen Raynor's junior season at Arkansas State (2025).
76%match
All-Sun Belt
Matches Jaylen on
Yards / attempt
Total pass EPA (college ability)
Rush yards / carry
Differs from Jaylen on
Class year (lower)
EPA / dropback (adj) (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Giovanni Lopez
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #10
Peaked at #10 — top-10 conversation.
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology