JACKSONVILLE, FL – Leo Delaney’s job this fall will be to protect Zaid Lott, first and foremost.

It will be a tad different than doing so for Jadyn Davis, the 5-star quarterback and teammate from last fall who is now at defending national champion Michigan. Lott backed up Davis, so his game remains a bit of a mystery to many. But not Delaney.

Speaking to Tar Heel Illustrated at the Rivals 5-Star Camp on Tuesday, Delaney gave a full-view scouting report of Lott, who committed to UNC earlier in the week as its QB in the class of 2026.

“He’s a phenomenal leader,” Delaney said. “Because he was behind Jadyn, it took time to get his confidence up to be a true leading quarterback. But since he started it, he hasn’t missed a beat. We all trust him completely. We’re all completely confidence in him in the backfield.”

At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Lott completed 29 of 42 passes for 446 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions during limited action last season for a team that won a third consecutive state championship.

Even with his limited game action, UNC’s staff has seen Lott work plenty, and are impressed with what he’s done and his potential. He will have two years as the Chargers’ starter, and is primed to take off. And, PD might be a day different under him, too.

“If we do something wrong on the offensive line, he can get out of there if he needs to,” Delaney said. “We can run run/pass options. He can pull the ball, which is something we really didn’t do with Jadyn because Zaid is fast, he’s tall, he’s strong. And with our running back Ian Cline, who is phenomenal, we can run out of there.”

Lott isn’t just a runner or even a run-first QB. He can chuck it, too.

“And he can sling that ball,” Delaney said, smiling. “I’ve seen him throw it 50 yards downfield to a dot. It was insane.”

Delaney’s confidence in Lott is so strong he doesn’t see a drop off by Providence Day this fall. The loaded program led by Chad Grier lost plenty of other highly touted players. But Delaney isn’t worried one bit, and it begins with the quarterback.

“I’ve been hearing stuff about people saying we’re going to fall off because Jadyn left, Jordan Shipp left, Channing Goodwin, Brody Barnhardt, but we have amazing people to replace those people,” Delaney said. “And I think we have a chance to be even better than ever.”