Max Johnson
North Carolina Tar Heels – No. 14
PositionQuarterback
ClassJunior
Personal information
Born: (2001-07-25) July 25, 2001 (age 22)
Athens, Georgia
Height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career history
College
High schoolOconee County
(Watkinsville, Georgia)

Max Johnson (born July 25, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Johnson attended and played high school football at Oconee County High School in Watkinsville, Georgia and began his college career at LSU before transferring to Texas A&M, where he played from 2022–2023.

Early years

Johnson grew up in Athens, Georgia and attended Oconee County High School.[1] As a senior, he threw for 2,143 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions and was named the Georgia 4A Offensive Player of the Year.[2] Johnson was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Louisiana State over an offer from Miami, coached by his uncle Mark Richt, as well as offers from Florida State, Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina.[3][4]

College career

LSU

Freshman season

See also: 2020 LSU Tigers football team

Johnson started his freshman season as the team's third string quarterback before being named the team's starter before LSU's game against Florida.[5] In his first career start, he threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns in a 37–34 upset victory over the sixth-ranked Gators and was named the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.[6][7] The following game, Johnson passed for an LSU freshman record 435 yards with three touchdowns and an interception while also rushing for 45 yards and two touchdowns in a 53–48 win over Ole Miss.[8] In his first season at LSU, Johnson completed 88 out of 150 attempted passes for 1,069 passing yards, 8 touchdowns and one interception.

Sophomore season

See also: 2021 LSU Tigers football team

Johnson was named LSU's starting quarterback during preseason training camp following an injury to Myles Brennan.[9] In his sophomore and final season at LSU, Johnson completed 225 out of 373 attempted passes for 2,814 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

On December 7, 2021, Johnson announced via social media that he would be leaving LSU to enter the transfer portal.[10]

Texas A&M

On December 17, 2021, Johnson announced he would transfer to Texas A&M.[11] He appeared in 12 games over two seasons for the Aggies, but never started a full season during his time in College Station. His most extended action came during the 2023 season, when he appeared in eight games, filling in for the injured Conner Weigman. Johnson threw for 1,452 yards, nine touchdowns, and 5 interceptions in 2023.

After the conclusion of the regular season, Johnson entered the transfer portal once again, this time as a graduate transfer.[12]

North Carolina

On November 29, 2023, Johnson committed to North Carolina.[13] Following Drake Maye's departure, Johnson will compete with Conner Harrell for the Tar Heel starting quarterback job in 2024.

Statistics

Season Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Comp Att Pct Yards Avg TD Int Rate Att Yards Avg TD
LSU Tigers
2020 6 2 2–0 88 150 58.7 1,069 7.1 8 1 134.8 54 119 2.2 2
2021 12 12 6–6 225 373 60.3 2,814 7.5 27 6 144.4 78 −41 −0.5 1
Texas A&M Aggies
2022 4 3 2–1 43 71 60.6 517 7.3 3 0 135.7 29 61 2.1 0
2023 8 5 2–3 118 190 62.1 1,452 7.6 9 5 136.7 51 27 0.5 2
North Carolina Tar Heels
2024 - - – - - - - - - - - - - - -
Career 30 22 12–10 484 784 60.5 5,853 7.5 47 12 139.9 212 166 0.8 5

Personal life

Johnson is the son of Pro Bowl and Super Bowl quarterback Brad Johnson, the nephew of former Georgia and Miami head coach Mark Richt and the brother of former Texas A&M and current North Carolina tight end Jake Johnson.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ Miller, Brody (October 22, 2020). "LSU QBs Max Johnson and TJ Finley: Parallel paths to a potential debut Saturday". The Athletic. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  2. ^ Dellenger, Ross (December 13, 2020). "Max Johnson: Meet the True Freshman QB Who Helped Take Down the Gators—and His Football Rich Bloodline". SI.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Anderson, Joel (November 28, 2018). "Four-star QB Max Johnson picks LSU over uncle Mark Richt's Hurricanes". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  4. ^ Kasabian, Paul (November 29, 2018). "4-Star QB Max Johnson Commits to LSU Despite Offer from Uncle Mark Richt, Miami". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  5. ^ Kubena, Brooks (December 7, 2020). "Ed Orgeron says LSU will consider starting Max Johnson at QB against Florida". The Advocate. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  6. ^ "LSU quarterback Max Johnson expected to be fine after suffering minor injury at Florida". The Daily Advertiser. December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  7. ^ Page, Fletcher (December 14, 2020). "Former Oconee County standout Max Johnson honored after upsetting the Gators". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Dixon, Shea (December 19, 2020). "Max Johnson "will never forget" the 2020 finish". 247Sports. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  9. ^ Alexander, Wilson (August 3, 2021). "Max Johnson named LSU's starting quarterback as Myles Brennan undergoes surgery". The Advocate. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  10. ^ Scarborough, Alex (December 7, 2021). "LSU Tigers starting quarterback Max Johnson to enter transfer portal". ESPN. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  11. ^ Scarborough, Alex (December 17, 2021). "Former LSU Tigers starting QB Max Johnson transferring to Texas A&M Aggies". ESPN. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  12. ^ Pope, Keegan (November 26, 2023). "Texas A&M QB Max Johnson enters NCAA transfer portal". on3.com. On3 Sports. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  13. ^ Callahan, Don (November 29, 2023). "SEC Transfer Quarterback Max Johnson Commits to UNC". InsideCarolina.com. 247 Sports. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Tomasson, Chris (December 11, 2020). "Ex-Vikings, Buccaneers QB Brad Johnson now cheering on son Max at LSU". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Culpepper, Juliakate E. (May 16, 2017). "Miami's Mark Richt extends 2020 offer to nephew Max Johnson". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 20, 2020.

External links

LSU Tigers starting quarterbacks
Texas A&M Aggies starting quarterbacks
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