// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Max Johnson? Max-imumly unknown.
Johnson with North Carolina in 2025 | |
| No. 7 – Georgia Southern Eagles | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class | Graduate Student |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 25, 2001 Athens, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Oconee County (Watkinsville, Georgia) |
| College |
|
| Stats at ESPN | |
Max Johnson (born July 25, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the Georgia Southern Eagles. 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 to 2023, before transferring a second time to North Carolina, where he played sparingly from 2024 to 2025.
In 2026, Johnson transferred to Georgia Southern University.
Early life
[edit]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
[edit]LSU
[edit]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, eight touchdowns and one interception.
In the 2021 season, Johnson was named LSU's starting quarterback during preseason training camp following an injury to Myles Brennan.[9] In the season opener against UCLA, Johnson completed 26 of 46 passes for a season-high 330 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in a loss. Johnson and the Tigers rebounded with victories over McNeese State, Central Michigan, and Mississippi State, with Johnson throwing 12 touchdowns during the three-game winning streak. LSU then lost five of its next six games, with Johnson's lone victory during that stretch coming against No. 20 Florida, where he threw three touchdown passes, including the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, in a 49–42 victory. The Tigers later earned victories over Louisiana–Monroe and No. 15 Texas A&M to become bowl eligible. In his final game with LSU against Texas A&M, Johnson completed 22 of 38 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winning 28-yard touchdown pass to Jaray Jenkins with 20 seconds remaining in a 27–24 victory.[10] During the 2021 season, Johnson appeared in and started 12 games, completing 225 of 373 passes for 2,814 yards, 27 touchdowns, and six interceptions while adding one rushing touchdown. On December 7, 2021, Johnson announced on social media that he would enter the transfer portal, opting out of LSU's appearance in the Texas Bowl.[11]
Texas A&M
[edit]On December 17, 2021, Johnson announced he would transfer to Texas A&M.[12] He began the 2022 season as the backup quarterback to Haynes King. Johnson made his Texas A&M debut in the season opener against Sam Houston, relieving King and completing three of four passes for 23 yards in a 31–0 victory. After the Aggies suffered an upset loss to unranked Appalachian State while ranked No. 6 in the country, Johnson was named the starter against No. 13 Miami. He led the Aggies to a 17–9 victory, completing 10 of 20 passes for 140 yards and throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Devon Achane.[13] The following week against No. 10 Arkansas, Johnson guided Texas A&M to a 23–21 victory, completing 11 of 21 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. Following the win, the Aggies climbed to No. 17 before facing Mississippi State, where Johnson suffered a season-ending broken bone in his left throwing hand during the loss.[14] On the season, he appeared in four games with three starts, completing 43 of 71 passes for 517 yards and three touchdowns while preserving his redshirt.
In 2023, King transferred to Georgia Tech, while Conner Weigman was named Texas A&M's starting quarterback, leaving Johnson as the primary backup. After Weigman suffered a season-ending injury against Auburn, Johnson took over as the starter. In his five starts, the Aggies went 2–3 before Johnson suffered a rib injury in a loss to No. 10 Ole Miss, ending his season.[15] Johnson finished the season completing 118 of 190 passes for 1,452 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions while adding two rushing touchdowns. On November 26, 2023, Johnson entered the transfer portal.[16]
North Carolina
[edit]On November 29, 2023, Johnson committed to North Carolina.[17] Following Drake Maye's departure to the NFL, Johnson competed with Jacolby Criswell and Conner Harrell for the Tar Heels' starting quarterback job and was named the starter. In the season opener against Minnesota, he suffered a season-ending broken femur and underwent surgery the following day.[18][19] Johnson missed the remainder of the 2024 season after undergoing five surgeries, and during his recovery it was revealed that the severity of the injury had created a legitimate concern that he could lose his leg.[20][21]
Johnson began the 2025 season as the backup quarterback to Gio Lopez.[22] In the season opener against TCU, he relieved Lopez and threw his first touchdown pass as a Tar Heel to his brother, Jake Johnson, finishing 9-of-11 passing for 103 yards and a touchdown in the loss. In Week 4 against UCF, he again relieved Lopez after Lopez suffered an injury, leading North Carolina to its only touchdown in another defeat. Following Lopez's injury, Johnson was named the starting quarterback the following week against Clemson, completing 26 of 42 passes for 208 yards in a 38–10 loss.[23] He returned to a backup role after the game and made one more appearance in the regular-season finale against NC State. In four appearances, including one start, Johnson completed 54 of 87 passes for 432 yards and two touchdowns while adding 38 rushing yards. On December 5, 2025, Johnson entered the transfer portal.[24]
Georgia Southern
[edit]On January 10, 2026, Johnson announced that he would be transferring to Georgia Southern.[25]
Statistics
[edit]| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2020 | LSU | 6 | 2 | 2–0 | 88 | 150 | 58.7 | 1,069 | 7.1 | 8 | 1 | 134.8 | 54 | 119 | 2.2 | 2 |
| 2021 | LSU | 12 | 12 | 6–6 | 225 | 373 | 60.3 | 2,814 | 7.5 | 27 | 6 | 144.4 | 78 | −41 | −0.5 | 1 |
| 2022 | Texas A&M | 4 | 3 | 2–1 | 43 | 71 | 60.6 | 517 | 7.3 | 3 | 0 | 135.7 | 29 | 61 | 2.1 | 0 |
| 2023 | Texas A&M | 8 | 5 | 2–3 | 118 | 190 | 62.1 | 1,452 | 7.6 | 9 | 5 | 136.7 | 51 | 27 | 0.5 | 2 |
| 2024 | North Carolina | 1 | 1 | 1−0 | 12 | 19 | 63.2 | 71 | 3.7 | 0 | 1 | 84.0 | 6 | 10 | 1.7 | 1 |
| 2025 | North Carolina | 4 | 1 | 0–1 | 54 | 87 | 62.1 | 432 | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 111.4 | 9 | 38 | 4.2 | 0 |
| 2026 | Georgia Southern | 0 | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Career | 35 | 24 | 13–11 | 540 | 890 | 60.7 | 6,355 | 7.1 | 49 | 13 | 135.9 | 227 | 216 | 1.0 | 6 | |
Personal life
[edit]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 Auburn tight end Jake Johnson.[26][27]
References
[edit]- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Anderson, Joel (November 28, 2018). "Four-star QB Max Johnson picks LSU over uncle Mark Richt's Hurricanes". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Kubena, Brooks (December 7, 2020). "Ed Orgeron says LSU will consider starting Max Johnson at QB against Florida". The Advocate. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ↑ Guilbeau, Glenn (December 14, 2020). "LSU quarterback Max Johnson expected to be fine after suffering minor injury at Florida". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ↑ Page, Fletcher (December 14, 2020). "Former Oconee County standout Max Johnson honored after upsetting the Gators". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ↑ Dixon, Shea (December 19, 2020). "Max Johnson "will never forget" the 2020 finish". 247Sports. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ↑ Alexander, Wilson (August 3, 2021). "Max Johnson named LSU's starting quarterback as Myles Brennan undergoes surgery". The Advocate. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ↑ "LSU Stuns No. 14 Texas A&M with Last-Minute TD, 27-24". LSUsports.net. LSU Athletics. November 27, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ Scarborough, Alex (December 7, 2021). "LSU Tigers starting quarterback Max Johnson to enter transfer portal". ESPN. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ↑ Scarborough, Alex (December 17, 2021). "Former LSU Tigers starting QB Max Johnson transferring to Texas A&M Aggies". ESPN. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ↑ "Johnson steps in, No. 24 Texas A&M beats No. 13 Miami 17-9". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times. September 17, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ Thamel, Pete (October 6, 2022). "Texas A&M QB Max Johnson has broken bone in hand, source says". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ Thompson, Cole (November 6, 2023). "Jimbo Fisher Provides Update On Texas A&M Aggies QB Max Johnson". Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ Pope, Keegan (November 26, 2023). "Texas A&M QB Max Johnson enters NCAA transfer portal". on3.com. On3 Sports. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ↑ Callahan, Don (November 29, 2023). "SEC Transfer Quarterback Max Johnson Commits to UNC". InsideCarolina.com. 247 Sports. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ↑ Campbell, Dave (August 30, 2024). "North Carolina QB Max Johnson taken to hospital, after 3rd quarter leg injury at Minnesota". AP News. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ↑ Dochterman, Scott (August 30, 2024). "UNC QB Max Johnson to miss remainder of season after breaking leg vs. Minnesota". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ↑ Adelson, Andrea (August 13, 2025). "After suffering a catastrophic injury, can UNC quarterback Max Johnson get his career back on track?". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ Rapp, Timothy (August 2, 2025). "UNC QB Max Johnson Says He Feared Losing His Leg Amid 5 Surgeries for Injury". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Max Johnson competes for starting quarterback job following devastating injury". The Daily Tar Heel. August 26, 2025. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ "North Carolina QB Max Johnson set to start vs. Clemson". ESPN. ESPN. October 4, 2025. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Max Johnson". 247Sports. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Georgia Southern lands veteran QB Max Johnson from the Transfer Portal". wjcl.com. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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
[edit]- 2001 births
- Living people
- American football quarterbacks
- LSU Tigers football players
- Texas A&M Aggies football players
- Players of American football from Irvine, California
- Players of American football from Athens, Georgia
- North Carolina Tar Heels football players
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- Georgia Southern Eagles football players