CHAPEL HILL – No magnifying glass is needed to identify the chip squarely planted on Max Johnson’s broad shoulders.
It’s there in plain sight. Anyone can see it. And everyone should understand it.
Johnson is on his third college stop after arriving at North Carolina last December following his graduation from Texas A&M. LSU was his original landing. And it’s in Chapel Hill that Johnson is looking to show the football universe that he isn’t what some have come to believe.
He can excel every week regardless of the opponent and their defensive scheme. He can run a balanced spread-oriented offense with plenty of pro wrinkles in it. And that he is a complete quarterback, not just a game manager, a term at which Johnson scoffs.
“A lot of people would say that, but I’ve thrown for a lot of yards in the SEC, a lot of yards,” Johnson said, defending his QB honor. “I’ve played a lot of big-time games, thrown a lot of touchdowns. But I think I can make all the throws, make all the plays, and kind of take over a game as well.
“I’ve thrown for a lot of 300-yard games, one 400-yard game. But I think just being able to lead, honestly, is the most important thing. Whether that’s throwing for 80 yards and winning a game, I don’t think it matters how many yards you throw for, how many touchdowns you throw for, as long as you win the game, I think that’s honestly the biggest thing.”
Johnson started leading not long after arriving at UNC. He had to pick his spots initially. Crashing through the doors of the Kenan Football Center all rah-rah wouldn’t have worked, especially coming off the Drake Maye era.
Johnson had to feel things out, choose his moments of leadership, and simply add to it as he gained overall comfort. And, he had to grasp the Tar Heels’ offense while getting to know his teammates and fully becoming one himself.
This isn’t as easy as simply showing up and playing ball. It’s far more challenging than that.
“I had to come in and learn a whole new system, be around new guys, learn names, and I thought it went really well…,” Johnson said. “I thought I got better the entire spring.”
Johnson spent two seasons at LSU and the last two at Texas A&M. At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, he has played in 30 games, starting 22 times, and is 474-for-784 with 5,853 yards, 47 touchdowns, and just 12 interceptions.
Brown loves his size, athletic ability, experience, and that he’s been a footballer his entire life, given that his father, Brad Johnson, played in the NFL for 15 years and won a Super Bowl.
“He’s 6-6, 230,” Brown said about Max Johnson. “He’s a big presence. He’s very confident. He’s thrown (784) passes in the SEC, he started at two different prominent schools, so he’s been in big games.”
Brown says there’s a professional element to Johnson. He’s older now than Sam Howell or Drake Maye were when they took snaps. His upbringing makes him the football equivalent of a gym rat, but he’s also a film rat.
And he’s a player on a mission.
Johnson wants to win games, as that’s the greatest attribute a quarterback can display. But he also wants to show he can run UNC’s system, spread the ball around, use his feet some, and be everything, including a game manager, when needed. That is why he sees the term “game manager” as a compliment but also an insult.
“A hundred percent. I think you can take it both ways, and it depends on how it comes across,” Johnson said. “I think game managers also means you’re managing the game, whether that’s throw the ball away, you’re about to get sacked, throw the ball away. Or that’s a hitch in a cover three and it’s the right play. Or throw the go ball in press when it’s needed to.
“I think I can manage the game well, and I can understand defenses, and understand where the ball needs to go.”
And he wants to show he can do everything NFL teams want in scouting reports. That desire and mission make for a giant boulder firmly planted on Johnson’s shoulder. And it’s fueling him every day.
