While a plethora of other football players are attempting to return to college for a fifth season of competition, there is a situation in Statesboro, Georgia, that features an even more unique eligibility story.
According to reports from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Georgia Southern named Max Johnson its starting quarterback on Sunday.
Johnson has experienced quite the ride in college, as he has already spent two years at three separate schools.
A 4-star prospect coming out of high school according to 247Sports’ Composite, Johnson played for LSU in 2020 and 2021. He posted the best stat line of his career during the latter year, as he tallied 2,815 passing yards and 27 touchdowns compared to just 6 interceptions.
Johnson then transferred to Texas A&M, where he appeared periodically over two seasons but was never able to grab hold of the starting role.
That stint in College Station was followed by two years with North Carolina, which were marred by injury. Set to be the full-time starter for the Tar Heels in 2024, Johnson suffered a gruesome leg injury in the opening game against Minnesota. After nearly losing his leg, the veteran quarterback had to undergo five surgeries and miss extensive time in order to just return to the playing field.
Johnson will now get the chance to finish his career on a positive note under Clay Helton, and he’ll look to carry over the momentum that JC French (Cincinnati) built behind center for the Eagles last fall.
Through six years in college, Johnson has accounted for 6,356 passing yards, 49 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 60.7% of his passes.
Parker is currently the sports editor for Gulf Coast Media in Foley, Alabama. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
