# Max Johnson

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. 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. 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.

## College career
### LSU
#### Freshman season

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. 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. 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. 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

Johnson was named LSU's starting quarterback during preseason training camp following an injury to Myles Brennan. 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.

### Texas A&M

On December 17, 2021, Johnson announced he would transfer to Texas A&M. 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.

### North Carolina

On November 29, 2023, Johnson committed to North Carolina. Following Drake Maye's departure, Johnson competed with Conner Harrell for the Tar Heel starting quarterback job, with Johnson being named the starter. In the season opener against Minnesota, he left the game with a right-leg injury. The next day, it was announced that Johnson would miss the remainder of the 2024 season after undergoing surgery.

### Statistics

| Season | Games | Games | Games | Passing | Passing | Passing | Passing | Passing | Passing | Passing | Passing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing |
| Season | 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 | 1 | 1 | 1−0 | 12 | 19 | 63.2 | 71 | 3.7 | 0 | 1 | 84.0 | 6 | 10 | 1.7 | 1 |
| Career | 31 | 23 | 13–10 | 486 | 803 | 60.5 | 5,923 | 7.4 | 47 | 13 | 138.6 | 218 | 178 | 0.8 | 6 |

## 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.