Tag: Max Johnson

Who does 247Sports have UNC facing in its first bowl projection?

UNC is projected to make a bowl game, but will it win for just the third time in 10 tries?

College football season doesn’t start until August, but there will be plenty of conversation around the sport in the coming weeks.

That’s because on Thursday, April 25, the dreams of over 200 college players will come true in the NFL Draft.

A majority of the NFL Draft attention in Chapel Hill surrounds star quarterback Drake Maye, who finished his college career with nearly 10,000 scrimmage yards and 80 touchdowns, was named the 2023 ACC Player of the Year and will likely be a Top-5 pick.

One of the greatest questions for UNC – in the fall – surrounds its quarterback position. North Carolina will have an intense quarterback competition in the Spring game, highlighted by Conner Harrell and Max Johnson.

The Tar Heels might not have the wide array of offensive weapons from last season, but they should win enough games to make another bowl game.

According to 247Sports’ early projections, UNC is set to face off against Northwestern in the Pinstripe Bowl.

I have hope that North Carolina can figure out how to win a bowl game, but I can already tell you right now that game will end in a loss. UNC is 2-7 in its last nine bowl games, not a pretty sight for a team that collapses late in the season.

The Tar Heels’ NFL Draft-eligible players sit out to save their careers, which I don’t blame them. There is talent across UNC’s roster, but head coach Mack Brown falls just short of prepping his reserves for the postseason.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

UNC Football spring game announced

Details about the UNC football program’s annual Spring game as they continue to move forward to the 2024 season.

The annual UNC spring football game will take place on April 20th at 3 P.M. eastern time and is free to the public.

As we inch closer to the football season, fans get their first look at what’s to come this season. UNC is already six practices in this year and will look completely different from years passed, with a new quarterback sliding in to try and lead the Tar Heels to the Promise Land.

Fighting for the starting role is sophomore [autotag]Conner Harrell[/autotag], who started his first career start in the Duke Mayo Bowl last season. The other quarterback looking to fill Drake Maye’s cleats is Texas A&M transfer [autotag]Max Johnson[/autotag], who has a boatload of experience, playing two years at LSU and two with the Aggies.

One position that isn’t up for grabs is the running back spot, with [autotag]Omarion Hampton[/autotag] expected to be in the driver’s seat. Last season, Hampton was spectacular as the driving force in the backfield, rushing for 1,504 yards (second most in a single season in UNC history).

Before the spring game kicks off, UNC will be having a fan fest at the Bell Tower starting at 1 P.M. and ending at 2:30. Public parking (free), will be available at the Bell Tower deck (ADA parking), Bowels lot, Cardinal deck, Craige deck, Jackson deck and Manning lot.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Who was the Tar Heels’ greatest football gain and loss in transfer portal?

Plenty of football players have transferred in and out of UNC this offseason. Who was the biggest addition and greatest loss?

The transfer portal is one of the biggest debate topics in college football.

There’s so many positives to the portal: it allows kids to see more playing time elsewhere, suit up closer to home and play for coaches who initially recruited them, but moved schools.

There’s also plenty of negatives, with the most pressing one being that college football feels a lot more like free agency now. This is accentuated by NIL earnings, as student-athletes can transfer to a larger school to make more off their deals. I am all about these young men and women making money, but collegiate sports become increasingly professionalized by the day.

The North Carolina Tar Heels have lost several players to the transfer portal this offseason, including 2023 starting left tackle Diego Pounds. They’ve also gained a few, including former Texas A&M and LSU quarterback Max Johnson.

Let’s take a brief look at UNC’s greatest transfer portal gain and loss, which – according to college football recruiting expert Mike Farrell – are Johnson and Pounds.

“Veteran QB Max Johnson is expected to start after Drake Maye declared for the NFL Draft,” Farrell wrote. “Johnson was a backup in 2022 and 2023 at Texas A&M, but threw for 2,815 yards and 27 touchdowns with six interceptions, in 2021 at LSU.”

“Diego Pounds started eight games at left tackle and has two more seasons of eligibility,” Farrell said. “He will play for Ole Miss next year.”

Johnson is expected to battle for the starting quarterback spot with Conner Harrell, who backed up Maye and started the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in December. North Carolina has landed a couple offensive linemen to replace pounds, including TCU’s Howard Sampson.

Though football season doesn’t begin for another six months, we’re hoping for a solid first year post-Maye.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

North Carolina’s QB position named among top battles to watch in Spring

The UNC football quarterback battle was named one to watch this offseason as Max Johnson and Conner Harrell are competing for the starter.

This offseason is a very important one for the North Carolina Tar Heels as life without quarterback Drake Maye begins. With Maye off to the NFL, the Tar Heels are turning the page and now they have a quarterback battle.

Sophomore Conner Harrell started the team’s bowl game against West Virginia and will battle with graduate transfer Max Johnson who came to North Carolina from Texas A&M. It will be experience against a player that has been in the offense before and is a battle to watch.

Going into the Spring, a lot of attention will be on position battles across the country including this one. Brad Crawford of 247Sports wrote on the quarterback battles, listing Johnson as the projected starter, and had this to say:

Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson was an early take in the portal for the Tar Heels with UNC’s offensive staff knowing Drake Maye was heading to the 2024 NFL Draft. Johnson provides immediate veteran support at the position who should thrive in Chip Lindsey’s offense without struggling through a transitional period. If there are some early hiccups for Johnson after four years in the SEC, that’s what spring practice is for, right? Harrell, a redshirt freshman, made his first start in UNC’s bowl lost to West Virginia.

Notes 247Sports’ Grant Hughes, the former three-star signee from Alabama scored his first college touchdown on a 61-yard burst — analytics trackers had him reaching a maximum speed of 21.1 mph during the dash — and then connected with Chris Culliver over the top on a 41-yard score for his first touchdown toss. In limited action, Harrell showed why UNC’s staff felt good about their quarterback room last season with a top-5 pick ahead of him.

There’s a long way to go in this battle as we haven’t even hit Spring practices yet, let alone training camp for the season.

But just like we had two seasons ago in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels are hoping the winner of this battle can lead them to be in contention in the ACC.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Former Texas A&M TE Jake Johnson officially commits to North Carolina in transfer portal

This weekend it was reported that sophomore TE Jake Johnson was “expected” to commit to North Carolina and that became a reality on Monday.

This past weekend, it was reported that Texas A&M sophomore tight end Jake Johnson was “expected” to commit to North Carolina in the NCAA Transfer Portal.

That expectation became a reality on Monday morning as Johnson officially committed to the Tar Heels program.

“Excited to be a Tar Heel! Let’s Go!” Johnson emphasized via X in two separate posts.

Johnson now joins his older brother, Max, in North Carolina. Max is a graduate transfer quarterback who entered the portal for the second time in his career on Nov. 26. He quickly chose the Tar Heels as his next program, announcing the decision three days later.

Jake entered the portal for the first time on Dec. 6. He is 6-foot-6, 240 pounds and comes to Chapel Hill with two years of eligibility remaining. Jake was a 4-star recruit coming out of Oconee County High School in Athens, Ga.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Report: Texas A&M TE Jake Johnson expected to join brother Max with transfer to North Carolina

According to a report from Matt Zenitz, the “expectation” is that Aggies sophomore TE Jake Johnson will be transferring to North Carolina.

On Dec. 17, 2021, LSU sophomore quarterback Max Johnson chose Texas A&M as his new home via the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Now exactly two years later, Max has already departed College Station and his younger brother Jake appears to be joining him at his next destination.

According to a report from 247Sports national college football reporter Matt Zenitz, the “expectation” per a source is that Texas A&M sophomore tight end Jake Johnson will be transferring to North Carolina in the portal.

Max entered the portal for the second time in his career on Nov. 26. He quickly chose the Tar Heels as his next program, announcing the decision three days later.

 

Jake entered the portal for the first time on Dec. 6 and has yet to officially reveal his choice. If the younger Johnson brother does ultimately decide to transfer to Chapel Hill, he would enter a competition with a North Carolina representative for the most popular Jake Johnson in the state.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Texas A&M OL Remington Stickland has entered the Transfer Portal

According to the man himself, Texas A&M offensive lineman Remington Strickland has entered the transfer portal.

Texas A&M’s 2023 season, outside of the Aggies’ impending bowl game, has ended, and after the recent hiring of new head coach Mike Elko, a new era of Aggie Football has begun. With multiple staff changes already taking place, the transfer portal has begun to take shape concerning both departures and incoming additions.

After the news that quarterback Max Johnson and wide receiver Raymond Cottrell entered the portal, Johnson has already committed to North Carolina. At the same time, Cottrell has already received a ton of interest from various Power 5 programs. Joining both players, offensive lineman Remington Strickland has officially entered the portal after two seasons in College Station.

Strickland was a three-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting cycle, and after redshirting during the 2021 season, Strickland played in a total of nine games with zero starts. Playing at both center and guard in his last two seasons, progress was made in the offseason, but was passed up by several younger players in the process. Remington Strickland has two years of eligibility remaining.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Social media reacts to UNC landing Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson

Social media reacts to UNC landing Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson from the Transfer Portal.

The North Carolina Tar Heels has already been busy in the transfer portal, with numerous talent leaving for new opportunities. 

Well, the saying out with the old, in with the new speaks volumes with a recent transfer portal move as Texas A&M quarterback [autotag]Max Johnson [/autotag] committing to UNC per his social media accounts. The commitment comes on the heels of UNC backup QB Jefferson Boaz entering the portal on Monday. 

The other key component here is Drake Maye, who is expected to enter the upcoming NFL draft as one of the top prospects in the nation. If Johnson were to step into the starting role next season, he would bring a whirlwind of experience as a four-year player. 

In four seasons with LSU and the Aggies, Johnson has a 60.5 completion percentage, 5853 passing yards, 47 touchdowns, and one interception. The quick move brought quite a reaction to social media, as fans discussed what this move meant and if it was the right call. 

Let’s look at how social media reacted to Max Johnson’s commitment to becoming a Tar Heel.

Former LSU quarterback Max Johnson reveals next transfer destination

The former LSU and Texas A&M quarterback will make his third stop with two remaining years of eligibility.

Former LSU and Texas A&M quarterback [autotag]Max Johnson[/autotag] will be making his third collegiate stop after entering the transfer portal following the conclusion of the regular season. This time, the portal is taking him outside the SEC.

Johnson announced his decision to transfer to North Carolina on Wednesday. He will presumably be competing for a starting job as the Tar Heels are expected to lose star quarterback Drake Maye in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft, in which he’s a projected top-five pick.

After leaving LSU following the 2021 season, Johnson saw on-and-off starting action in his two years in College Station. He took over down the stretch in 2023 following the injury to Conner Weigman, though he missed some time as he battled an injury of his own.

Johnson has appeared in 30 games with 22 starts during his career. As a graduate transfer, he will be allowed to play immediately and will have two remaining years of eligibility in Chapel Hill.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Former Texas A&M QB Max Johnson has transferred to North Carolina

After four seasons at LSU and Texas A&M, QB Max Johnson will take his talents to North Carolina in 2024.

After four productive seasons at LSU and Texas A&M, quarter Max Johnson will transfer to North Carolina, as Tar Heels star quarterback Drake Maye is likely to enter the 2024 NFL Draft.

Plagued by several injuries during his short Aggie career, Johnson saw action in eight games this season, including five starts, before sustaining a season-ending rib injury in A&M’s 38-35 loss to Ole Miss on Nov. 4. During the season, Johnson threw for 1,452 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions on the season.

Given Johnson’s large stature (6′ 5) and arm talent, it’s not surprising that the Tar Heels were the first program to offer the veteran signal-caller, as Johnson’s SEC experience and overall toughness makes him a perfect fit in head coach Mack Brown’s offense.

Looking ahead, A&M’s quarterback room looks to be in solid shape, as Jaylen Henderson’s late-season run makes him a favorite as next season’s No. 2 QB, joining starter Conner Weigman and Marcel Reed and 2024 four-star QBs AJ Maddox and Miles O’Neill, who will make their way to College Station next spring/summer.

In his career at both LSU and Texas A&M, Max Johnson has produced 5,853 passing yards, 47 touchdowns, and just 12 interceptions in four seasons.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.