Tag: North Carolina football

Former Texas A&M QB Max Johnson predicted to land in the ACC

According to one prediction, former Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson is slated to land with North Carolina under head coach Mack Brown.

On Sunday, it was reported by 247Sports’ Chris Hummer that Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson, who has spent the last two seasons as the Aggies on and off starter, entered the transfer portal with several years of remaining eligibility.

Plagued by 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 threw1,452 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions on the year.

After the impressive play of former Fresno State quarterback Jaylen Henderson during Johnson’s absence, the writing was sadly on the wall for his future departure from the program. Concerning his possible transfer destinations, 247Sports insider Matt Zenitz has predicted that Johnson is a favorite to land in North Carolina under head coach Mack Brown, as star quarterback Drake Maye is slated to enter the 2024 NFL Draft as one of the top selections.

Given Johnson’s stature (6′ 5) and arm talent, it’s not surprising that the Tar Heels are interesting, but so will nearly every quarterback-needy Power 5 program in the country.

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.

Looking ahead, A&M’s quarterback room looks to be in fantastic shape, as Henderson joins 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.

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.

Gallery: The best photos from Clemson’s stellar win over North Carolina

Here is a look at the best photos from Clemson’s win over North Carolina.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers extended their impressive streak on Saturday, securing a 31-20 victory over former 20th-ranked North Carolina in Death Valley.

As the 2023 college football season unfolded, the Tigers faced a challenging start that neither the program nor the fan base desired. However, they are now finding their rhythm in the latter part of the season. This marks another significant win against strong opponents, now defeating UNC and Notre Dame.

The win over the Tar Heels was great and delivered some great photos. Here is a look at the best photos from the Tigers’ win over the Tar Heels.

Dabo Swinney on Clemson’s questionable fake punt against North Carolina

For the second straight week, Clemson attempted a questionable fake punt.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers picked up a big win over North Carolina Saturday, taking down the Tar Heels 31-20 in front of their home crowd for Senior Day. 

Early in the game, Swinney and his staff opted to do another fake punt, this time with fifth-year senior defensive tackle Tyler Davis taking a direct snap and attempting to pick up the first down on a run. Like Aidan Swanson’s fake against Georgia Tech, it was a brutally poor fake that allowed North Carolina an excellent chance to score and set the tone. 

After the game, Swinney explained the decision. 

“We went into the game, if we had fourth and a long 1, maybe a 1 and a half, in between, or 2, we were gonna call it,” Swinney said. “And I gotta look at it on tape. They didn’t replay it, so I never got a chance to see it. I’m not sure if they ran a guy through the A gap and we didn’t cut him off or what, but we thought we had it.

“So, Senior Day, we dialed up one for Tyler Davis and it didn’t work. But we went into the game, if we got in that situation, we were gonna hundred percent call it. I think it was a long 1, and so we were like, ‘Well, OK, here we go.’ So, didn’t work.”

I get the idea behind it, but that is two games where a poor decision to fake a punt led to scores from the opposition. It’s tough to condone a decision like this following the result we saw from it against the Yellow Jackets, but credit to Swinney for sticking to his guns there. 

Sometimes, bad situations turn out good, and while that wasn’t one of them, Swinney believes Cade Klubnik’s touchdown run where he barely crossed the plane is one of them.

“That’s the worst play that turned out good ever,” Swinney said of Klubnik’s rushing touchdown. “Man, I mean, holy cow. We had timeout. We talked about it, like, ‘You cannot run this ball, we gotta throw the ball, we gotta get the points here,’ and he made it by… I don’t even know if you could put a piece of paper between how close it was.

“But hey, we caught a break. He made a play, and that field goal was huge, right. A three point-game was huge. We needed the one, and obviously the touchdown was big. It’s good to be able to coach that with success. The only worse play was the fake punt. That was the only worse play of the game.”

Social media reacts: Will Shipley shines in possibly his final game in Death Valley

Will Shipley had his best game of the season in what may have been his final game in Death Valley.

Clemson took down No.20 North Carolina on Senior Day in front of their home crowd in Clemson Memorial Stadium as junior running back Will Shipley put together a magnificent and possible final performance at Death Valley.

While Shipley has not announced whether he will return to Clemson for another season, he did participate in Senior Day festivities. There are no guarantees, but signs point to a departure for the NFL right now.

In the game, Shipley took 18 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown, adding two catches for 53 yards. He looked as explosive as ever and showed NFL scouts once again what he is capable of. 

It was a strong performance from the star running back, and it had people talking. Here is a look at how Twitter/X reacted to Shipley’s big day.

Social media reacts: Nate Wiggins makes an incredible effort play to stop a North Carolina touchdown

Nate Wiggins made one of the best-effort plays you’ll ever see.

Clemson star cornerback Nate Wiggins had an outstanding performance in the Tigers’ 31-20 win over North Carolina, making one of the best effort plays you’ll ever see on a football field. 

At the end of the first quarter, North Carolina was in a position where they could have taken a 14-0 lead over Clemson on the road, with momentum fully on their side. That is until Wiggins made the play of the game. 

Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton broke off a 64-yard run, with Wiggins running the near length of the field to strip the ball from Hampton right before he could get into the end zone. In a moment when the Tigers’ needed someone to step up, Wiggins did it and then some. He even added a game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter to cap off the game. 

Here is a look at how Twitter/X reacted to Wiggins’ phenomenal effort play.

Dabo Swinney shares an injury update on wide receiver Beaux Collins

Dabo Swinney shared an injury update on Beaux Collins following Clemson’s win over North Carolina.

Following Clemson’s 31-20 win over North Carolina, Dabo Swinney met with the media and updated the injury status of starting wide receiver Beaux Collins. 

According to Swinney, Collins tore his plantar fascia in the matchup. There is no timetable for the injury, and Swinney did not rule him out for next week’s matchup against South Carolina. 

“We’ll see what the status with him is,” Swinney said.

It is another injury at wide receiver for the Tigers; hopefully, Collins’ injury isn’t as severe as it sounds. Swinney also noted that it is unlikely that star wide receiver Antonio Williams will be ready for the game against the Gamecocks. 

Clemson could be thin at wide receiver for their rivalry game.

Will Shipley shines in his possible final game in Death Valley

It may have been Shipley’s final game in Death Valley, and he put on a show for Clemson fans.

Clemson star running back Will Shipley may have played his final game in Death Valley Saturday in the Tigers’ 31-20 win over North Carolina, and he put on a show for the home crowd. 

Shipley is a junior but was a part of Clemson’s Senior Day activities. While the young running back has made it clear that he hasn’t made a decision on what his plan is, participating in Senior Day as a junior, more often than not, means the player is moving on to the NFL. 

If this was Shipley’s final performance in Death Valley, it would be one to remember. On the day, Shipley took 18 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown, adding two catches for 53 yards. 

Shipley was once again the focal point of this Clemson offense, and it was awesome to see. The Tigers still have South Carolina and a bowl game to go, and we will keep close attention to what Shipley has to say down the line.

Social media reacts: Clemson takes down No.20 North Carolina for another momentum-building win

Social media reacts to Clemson’s Senior Day win over No.20 North Carolina.

In another thrilling game on Saturday, Clemson surged ahead, triumphing over the 20th-ranked North Carolina team with a decisive 31-20 victory at Death Valley.

Another big win for the Tigers; the run this program has been on is excellent, considering how poor their start to the season was. Clemson had a lot of questions surrounding them a few weeks ago, and while they aren’t all gone, the team is certainly trending in the right direction. 

The team performed on both sides of the ball, with multiple Tigers stepping up to help their team pick up a Senior Day win. Another big Clemson win will get people talking. 

Here is a look at how Twitter/X reacted to Clemson’s win over North Carolina.

Five takeaways from Clemson’s stellar Senior Day win over No.20 North Carolina

Five Takeaways from another Clemson’s strong win over North Carolina.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers hot run continued Saturday, as Clemson took down No.20 North Carolina 31-20 in Death Valley.

After a start to the 2023 college football season that no one in the program or the fan base wanted, the Tigers are hitting their stride down the stretch. It is another ranked win, with both coming against big names in UNC and Notre Dame. 

It wasn’t a perfect win, but a perfect win is nearly impossible when you’re playing a team with an offense as high-powered as the Tar Heels. Both the Clemson offense and defense did exactly what they needed to for the Tigers to earn a Senior Day win. 

Here are five takeaways from Clemson’s stellar Senior Day win over No.20 North Carolina.

Clemson takes down No.20 North Carolina for another statement win

Clemson continues their hot run as they take down North Carolina in Death Valley.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program picked up another big win as the Tigers took down No.20 North Carolina 31-20 in front of their home fans in Clemson Memorial Stadium.

Clemson takes down their second-ranked team in three weeks, proving to be the better team than UNC on Saturday. It wasn’t a perfect win for the Tigers, but they rarely are against competition of this level.

The Tigers’ defense got thrashed on the ground, allowing 248 rushing yards, with Tar Heels star running back Omarion Hampton running for 178 yards and two touchdowns. UNC star quarterback Drake Maye added 67 yards of his own.

Even if they got beat on the ground, the Clemson defense had a sneaky solid performance that the stats won’t necessarily show. The Tar Heels offense is one of the most explosive in the country, scoring 40+ points in 6 of their last 7 games before this. Clemson’s defense had a classic bend-don’t-break performance, allowing 21 points.

Nate Wiggins put together an unreal performance, making an absurd play to keep UNC from scoring a touchdown and making a game-sealing interception.

On offense, Clemson did something similar to UNC and ran all over their opposing defense. Another ridiculous rushing total, 240 yards for the Tigers on the ground. They were led by Will Shipley, who took 18 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown. He added two catches for 53 yards.

Clemson starting quarterback Cade Klubnik continues to improve, looking more and more comfortable under center. He completed 21-32 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown, looking confident in the pocket. Klubnik was also dangerous with his feet, running for 44 yards and a touchdown.

This Clemson team has looked great as the season winds down.