Week 0 college football matchups can feel like the first day of school.
In the transfer portal era, rosters look markedly different year to year. Newcomers are adapting to new systems. Returners are hoping to improve year to year. And coaches spend entire offseasons priming their rosters in hopes of fast starts when the ball is finally spotted in late August.
For quarterbacks Jaden Craig and Billy Edwards Jr., both first-time starters at their new programs, the new-school feeling should hit especially close to home. Craig is new to this level of college football, having never taken a Power 4 snap. Edwards has never taken a snap in Carolina Blue. On Saturday, these two signal-callers will do battle on a neutral field in Dublin, Ireland, in arguably the most anticipated matchup of the Week 0 slate.
One of the more interesting elements of early-season matchups featuring high-profile transfer players on new teams is the art of trying to pinpoint what will translate.
A season ago, Craig was taking snaps at Harvard in the Ivy League, and he now faces a massive step up in competition. By comparison, Edwards featured only briefly for Wisconsin last fall, with lukewarm results during a 4-8 campaign.
This season, they’ll be tasked with shouldering significant loads for their new teams. What can advanced data from last season tell us about these players?
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
What Does QB Jaden Craig Bring to the TCU Offense?
Last season, Craig was an extremely efficient and explosive passer for a 9-2 Harvard Crimson team. He carried a high usage percentage (52.1%), and he stress-tested opposing defenses vertically with an 11.5 air yards per attempt figure, according to Hudl IQ.
Perhaps the thing that Craig did best during the 2025 season was generating chunk plays. He averaged 13.8 yards per completion – a good figure in its own right. Pair that with a pass chunk percentage of 24.9, and you have a quarterback who excelled at pushing the ball downfield with venom.
When you examine the advanced data on Craig, it’s no wonder why TCU head coach Sonny Dykes targeted him in the transfer portal. TCU saw firsthand just how effective a downfield threat can be in former quarterback Josh Hoover, now at Indiana.
The part of Craig’s game that will surely make Dykes happy, especially compared with Hoover’s, is that Craig rarely threw interceptions. He posted a minuscule 2.1% interception percentage, as compared to Hoover’s, which sat a full percentage point higher.
Craig will surely have to adapt his game to meet the demands of a Power 4 league, even though the Big 12 isn’t renowned for great passing defenses. Passing windows will be tighter. Receivers will likely generate less separation. And it remains to be seen just how different this system will look under new offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis, after former playcaller Kendal Briles left for South Carolina.
But if Craig can push the ball downfield with the same effectiveness he showed at Harvard, and can keep the turnovers low, this offense should be formidable again, which will give the Horned Frogs a chance to make inroads in a crowded Big 12.
What Does Billy Edwards Jr. Bring to the North Carolina Offense?
Unlike Craig, Edwards has experience starting at the Division I level, albeit with a mixed bag of results. Last season, Edwards threw for just 113 yards in two starts for the Badgers before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Before transferring to Wisconsin, Edwards started one season for Maryland, where he threw for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Because of the aforementioned injury, there’s not much to take from his performances from the 2025 season. But during the 2024 season at Maryland, Edwards was a below-average quarterback by most advanced metrics.
Edwards posted negative EPA/play (-0.04) and EPA/pass (-0.04) figures, according to Hudl IQ, as the Terrapins limped to a 4-8 campaign.
What really stands out about his 2024 season was just how ineffective he was as a downfield passing threat.
Using the passing chart from Hudl IQ, it’s clear to see that most of his completions came behind or near the line of scrimmage. He did complete just shy of 65% of his passes (a good figure) but generated explosive plays fewer than 4% of the time. He lacked the necessary pop to push defenses vertically, often resulting in short and intermediate completions, with minimal success.
He didn’t turn the ball over very often, and rarely got sacked. Both are good marks on his record. But outside of that, he was widely ineffective for Maryland, which is why he transferred to Wisconsin in hopes of resurrecting his career.
One of the more difficult aspects of Edwards’ game that’s tough to project is just how much his struggles could be mitigated with a more experienced and creative playcaller calling the shots. Last season, North Carolina endured a bevy of offensive struggles under offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens. This offseason, Belichick took a big swing by hiring longtime college head coach and former Arkansas playcaller Bobby Petrino, who helped design a lot of explosive plays and whose Razorbacks’ offense put up big scoring numbers with quarterback Taylen Green leading the offense.
One thing is for certain: Edwards is not Green. He’s not especially mobile. He hasn’t shown the ability to punish defenses with his explosive running abilities. And up until this point, he hasn’t shown enough in the passing game to make you think he can suddenly turn into a dynamite downfield passer.
Perhaps Petrino can craft an offense that fits Edwards’ strong suits. But I’m skeptical that it’ll look anything like what we saw at Arkansas last season.
What Should Fans Expect During Week 0 Matchup?
The Week 0 matchup between TCU and North Carolina in Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, should be a nice stress test for both signal-callers.
It’ll be fascinating to see what Craig looks like against what should be an improved North Carolina defense, built by one of the sport’s greatest defensive minds in Belichick. For the Tar Heels, this game should be an interesting look into Petrino’s mind and will likely give some indication as to what he thinks he can extrapolate from a quarterback such as Edwards.
