North Carolina quarterback Max Johnson plans to return to UNC in 2025 after suffering a broken femur in the Tar Heels' Week 1 win at Minnesota, he told ESPN. Johnson was hospitalized in Minnesota following the injury and eventually underwent surgery there.
"These last eight days have been a serious grind and it has taken a lot to get to other side and start the recovery process," he said in a statement to ESPN. "I have a lot of football left in me and know I will be back out there next year."
It was a gut-wrenching moment for the fifth-year college quarterback who previously played at LSU and Texas A&M. With the Tar Heels in the thick of an eventual 19-17 win over the Golden Gophers, Johnson's right leg was trapped underneath a defender and bent at an awkward angle as he attempted to avoid a sack by throwing the ball away.
He was carted off the field and replaced by sophomore Conner Harrell, who is slated to start for the Tar Heels against North Carolina Central on Saturday.
As a veteran of two SEC programs with 22 career starts, Johnson was expected to be a steadying, veteran option at quarterback for the Tar Heels in 2024 after the loss of No. 3 overall draft pick Drake Maye. While he won't be able to fill that role on the field for UNC in 2024, Johnson's message suggests he's intent on pushing for the job again in 2025.
Assuming he's granted a medical redshirt for the 2024 season, Johnson would still have two years of eligibility remaining and could potentially play college football in 2026 as a seventh-year senior. Though he appeared in six games as a true freshman at LSU in 2020, the season did not count against his eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, he appeared in just four games for Texas A&M due to a hand injury that he suffered after taking over the job from injured starter Conner Weigman. Of his five seasons in the sport so far, only the 2021 campaign at LSU and 2023 season at Texas A&M are expected to count against his eligibility when he returns in 2025.
