Who will be UNC’s next quarterback? A transfer with an NFL pedigree may be the answer

In Mack Brown’s second tenure as the head coach of North Carolina football, the quarterback position has never been a worry.

Sam Howell was the undisputed starter in Brown’s first three seasons, throwing a program-record 92 touchdowns before being selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. And for the past two seasons, the job has belonged to Drake Maye, who led the Atlantic Coast Conference in total yards in 2022 and 2023, and is expected to be a top-five pick in this spring’s NFL Draft.

But this offseason is different. Brown doesn’t have a highly-touted quarterback prospect waiting in the wings. For the first time in Brown’s second go-round as UNC’s head coach, who starts at quarterback for the Tar Heels on Aug. 29 at Minnesota remains a legitimate question.

Max Johnson might be the answer.

“It’s big shoes to fill,” Johnson said of potentially succeeding Maye. “And I’m looking forward to making the most out of my moments here and just being the best I can be.”

Who is Max Johnson?

Johnson is a 6-foot-5 quarterback from Athens, Georgia, with two seasons of eligibility remaining. He transferred to UNC in December after spending two inconsistent seasons at Texas A&M where he was part of the musical chairs approach at quarterback for the Aggies. Before that, Johnson was at LSU for two seasons.

A big reason why Johnson wanted to come to UNC was the way the program developed Howell and Maye and set them up for NFL success.

“From an outside perspective, looking at the quarterbacks that came here, the numbers they put up, some of the big-time throws they made, the way they move the ball,” Johnson said. “It’s not just deep or just short, it’s what’s best for the game. Seeing Drake manage that and make plays with his feet, I have the ability to do that as well.”

In all, Johnson has played in 30 college games, throwing for 5,853 yards, 47 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In games where he attempted at least 20 passes, Johnson’s teams went 12-11.

While Johnson’s stats don’t jump off the page, he brings a wealth of experience to UNC’s quarterback room and has proven to be capable of winning games at the highest level. He has started games at Alabama’s Bryant Denney Stadium and Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium, and he’s won games in LSU’s Tiger Stadium and Florida’s Swamp.

Simply put: Johnson is exactly what the Tar Heels were hoping for when they searched the transfer portal for a quarterback.

“We really wanted a guy that was a veteran. We wanted a guy that had played against tough competition,” North Carolina football general manager Pat Suddes said. “We wanted a guy with some height. We wanted a guy that was accurate, and between the ears is a football savant. And that’s what Max is.”

UNC looking for leadership

Other than sophomore Conner Harrell — whose lone collegiate start came in UNC’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl loss to West Virginia in December — Johnson is the only quarterback on the Tar Heels’ roster who has started a college game. He brings leadership to the position, filling the void left by Maye. While Johnson has only been at UNC for less than two months, he’s already working out multiple times a week with his receivers and offensive linemen, building the chemistry that is often crucial to the success of a football team.

Before talking to reporters on Wednesday inside the Kenan Football Center in Chapel Hill, Johnson was practicing under-center snaps with another transfer, interior lineman Austin Blaske.

“It’s been good so far. We try to do it three times a week,” Blaske said. “I’ve never had to snap to a left-handed quarterback before and it’s actually different. The pressure to where you’re trying to push up on — his thumb and middle fingers are in different spots.”

Blaske comes to UNC from Georgia, where he was part of two national championship-winning teams and played in 18 games across the past three seasons. Like Johnson, he’s a native Georgian, and the two have bonded off the field too.

“He’s very competitive,” Blaske said. “I can tell from the golf course that he hates to lose. I know that he’s going to be a great competitor on the field and I’m excited to have him behind us this year.”

A football pedigree

In addition to his experience in the Southeastern Conference, Johnson also carries football talent in his blood. His father Brad threw 166 touchdowns in 177 NFL games and won a Super Bowl as a starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Johnson’s uncle is Mark Richt, the former Georgia and Miami head coach who is now an analyst for the ACC Network.

And his brother Jake is a tight end, who followed him to Chapel Hill as a transfer as well. The younger Johnson caught 24 passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns last year for the Aggies.

“He’s an NFL guy,” Suddes said of Jake Johnson. “Great hands, natural ability.”

But there’s no guarantee that Jake will be hauling in passes from Max when the games start. Brown has not officially named a starting quarterback for the season, but all signs point to Johnson competing with Harrell for the top job in spring practice.

In his career, Harrell has completed 22-of-33 passes across five games for 278 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Like he did with Blaske, Johnson took Harrell out for 18 holes of golf recently.

“The best part about Max is, he’s only going to make Conner better,” Suddes said. “We still love Conner. Those two guys are going to battle it out going into the spring.”

However the competition ends up, Johnson is at UNC to help the Tar Heels win games.

“There’s a chance to win the ACC Championship, the national championship, and be around a lot of great guys and great coaches,” Johnson said. “I’m excited to be here and I’m happy to be here.”

This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 6:30 AM.