Max Johnson Shows Promise in Each Opportunity He Receives

Fast forward to games three and four for UNC, where he threw for 119 yards against the Richmond Spiders and just 87 yards in the last outing — squaring off with UCF in Florida. It's worth mentioning that Lopez exited the game due to an injury, leading to Johnson stepping up and fill the gap.

Lopez, in his second road appearance as a Tar Heel looked out of sorts, just unable to get any momentum going and his two interceptions did not help his cause either. He went 11/14 on passing attempts, which is good, of course, statistically at least, but it was not enough for North Carolina to overcome the pass-rushing ability of the Knights.

Then, once Lopez's injury occurs, here comes Johnson.

Max Johnson Seizes His Playing Time

First, in the contest against the Horned Frogs, Johnson's first action back since the season-ending injury last year in the opener taking on Minnesota — converted a pass into the end zone to his tight end Jake Johnson. Second, his pass to wide receiver Kobe Paysour inside the Bounce House on the left side of the end zone game UNC its only touchdown of the day.

Johnson is an instant impact off the bench for Belichick, Offensive Coordinator Freddie Kitchens and the rest of the staff — he is prepared in the moment, and when called upon, executes. This led to many believing that he should become the full-time starting quarterback; his outing while facing the Knights was short, giving UNC even the tiniest bit of life in a game that had UCF written all over it. The former LSU Tiger and Texas A&M Aggie stands at 6-foot-5, a huge advantage over Lopez, who is at 6-foot flat.

Johnson, who once thought he might lose his leg, is now back in action playing football — a game that has been included for a good portion of his life. And maybe he has the chance to get back the starting spot that was once his prior to Belichick taking over.

While Lopez has the talent and his time with South Alabama, Johnson's fit with Kitchens' pro-style offensive scheme, height and experience set him apart. All in addition to what he has been able to do in the small chances he gets in-game thus far.

If Belichick wants to turn the season around and top the 2024 overall record of 6-7, then he may want to reevaluate the quarterback position once more, and find out what needs to be changed and if adding Johnson into the starting role is what will make the difference the rest of the way before it gets a whole lot worse.

North Carolina has Clemson on October, California on October 17, Virginia on October 25 and Syracuse on October 31 as its next four contests.

The time and opportunities are still all there for the taking, but the Tar Heels are still growing in many aspects of the game that require a close look at — losing by double-figures to Power 4 conference opponents is not a good by any means.

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