Max Johnson injury update: Bill Belichick shares where North Carolina QB stands in recovery

North Carolina quarterback Max Johnson suffered a season-ending leg injury during the Tar Heels’ season opener against Minnesota in August. Amid his recovery, Johnson announced his return to Chapel Hill for a sixth year of college football in 2025.

UNC head coach Bill Belichick provided a brief update on the status of the veteran quarterback on Wednesday, but was unable to provide a timeline for his return to full contact heading into spring training.

“Max has worked hard. He’s made a lot of progress,” Belichick said. “He’s still limited, but he’s definitely getting better. We’ll take it day by day, but nobody’s put in more work than he has. We’ll see where that takes him, but he’s definitely making progress.

“It’s just a day by day process. If he has a good day, then he can do more the next day. … If it doesn’t move along quite as quickly, we’ll slow it down until he can progress.”

Johnson’s injury occurred during the third quarter of the season opener. He finished that game 12 of 19 passing for 71 yards. He rushed for a touchdown and threw an interception before leaving the game.

North Carolina turned toward senior Jacolby Criswell to become the team’s main quarterback. He threw for 2,459 yards and 15 touchdowns in place of Johnson. Sophomore Conner Harrell saw some action under center as well, passing for 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns in six appearances.

Johnson had quite the career before arriving in Chapel Hill. Spending the last four seasons with the LSU Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies, Johnson has thrown for 5,853 yards and 47 touchdowns while completing 60.5 percent of his passes.

He signed with LSU as part of the Class of 2020 and was the Tigers’ starter in 2021, throwing for 27 touchdowns.

As Johnson continues his rehab, Belichick said the Tar Heels staff will have to focus on the players who are available to practice in that moment. In the quarterback rooms, that consists of Purdue transfer Ryan Browne, as well as incoming freshmen Au’Tori Newkirk, and four-star Bryce Baker, who is an exciting dual-threat QB formerly signed to Penn State.

North Carolina will kick off its 2025 college football season on Sept. 1 against TCU inside Kenan Stadium. Who will be under center when the Tar Heels take the field on offense for the first time remains to be seen.