When Max Johnson went down in the third quarter grabbing his right knee, North Carolina fans feared the worst. Those fears were confirmed less than 24 hours later when the team reported Johnson underwent surgery for a broken leg and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season.
The former LSU and Texas A&M quarterback completed 12 passes for 71 yards in his lone game with the Tar Heels, an eventual win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The job under center now goes to sophomore Conner Harrell, who competed against Johnson right up to the last minute before the veteran was awarded the starting spot.
Harrell went 2-4 for 34 yards to help the ‘Heels secure a Week 1 victory, and he’ll get a couple of opportunities against lesser opponents to get his feet wet with the team hosting Charlotte, North Carolina Central, and James Madison before heading out to face Duke on the road at the end of the month.
Harrell appeared in five games with North Carolina in 2023, completing 22 passes for 278 yards with a pair of touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.
The 6’2 native of Alabaster, Alabama was a three-star prospect in high school when he committed to North Carolina in July of 2021.
He was considered the 33rd best high school quarterback at 247Sports, and now gets a chance to prove he can replace not only Johnson, but follow in the footsteps of Drake Maye who starred in Chapel Hill before going No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL draft to the New England Patriots.