UNC football QB update: Max Johnson replaced injured Gio Lopez as starter
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gio Lopez ruled out for Clemson; Max Johnson projected to start for UNC.
- Lopez exited Week 4 vs UCF with leg injury and missed practice status.
- ACC report updated Saturday confirmed Lopez questionable then ruled out.
UNC football quarterback Gio Lopez did not play against Clemson on Saturday. After being listed as “questionable” on the ACC’s Thursday injury report, Lopez was listed as “out” on the ACC’s game day report posted Saturday at 10 a.m.
Max Johnson, the senior quarterback who suffered a season-ending leg injury last year, started the Tar Heels’ 38-10 loss to the Tigers in their ACC opener.
Johnson played the entire game, completing 26 of 42 passes for 213 yards. He didn’t throw any touchdown passes but he also wasn’t intercepted.
Lopez exited North Carolina’s Week 4 contest against UCF (a 34-9 loss) with what appeared to be a leg injury and didn’t return to the game. Lopez, who started the first four games of the season for UNC, had already been ruled questionable for Saturday in the team’s ACC-mandated injury report, released Thursday. The South Alabama transfer also exited the season opener against TCU (a 48-14 loss) with an injury.
The South Alabama transfer has struggled so far this fall, posting the second-worst adjusted quarterback rating in FBS (QBR) per ESPN.
Belichick said Tuesday that Lopez “didn’t do much” in the week following the UCF loss and wasn’t able to practice.
“He’s been in here every day, working hard, getting treatment,” Belichick said Tuesday.
He added, without much specificity, that Lopez needed — as with much of the roster — to be more consistent.
“Look, Gio has improved a lot,” Belichick said. “Offensively, again, we just haven’t been consistent enough in any area, but we’re getting closer. We’ll continue to push ahead on that and when Gio is able to practice, we’ll see how much improvement he has made and can make.
If he’s not, then other players will be in there.”
Johnson, meanwhile, had been practicing with UNC’s first-team offense in the bye week.
“I think he always just plays with a fire in him,” UNC tight end Jake Johnson, Max’s brother. “A lot of a lot of our teammates see that. When he does come in, [he’s] just boost of energy. But I know that when his numbers called, he’s ready and just ready to go.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2025 at 10:31 AM.