Georgia Southern has turned to one of college football’s most traveled quarterbacks, naming Max Johnson its starter on Sunday.
Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that Johnson will open for the Eagles against Charleston Southern and then face Clemson in Week 2. For Johnson, it marks a fourth turn as a college starter after previous stops at LSU, Texas A&M and North Carolina.
His path to Statesboro has been anything but ordinary. Johnson arrived in college as a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite and spent two seasons at LSU, where his strongest year came in 2021. That season, he threw for 2,815 yards with 27 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions.
From there, he moved to Texas A&M and spent two seasons in College Station, where he appeared at times but never fully locked down the starting job.
His next chapter at North Carolina was derailed by injury. Johnson was set to be the Tar Heels’ full-time starter in 2024 before suffering a severe leg injury in the opener against Minnesota. The injury nearly cost him his leg, and he went through five surgeries before making his way back onto the field.
Now, under Clay Helton, Johnson gets another shot to close out his career on a high note. He’ll also be looking to build on what JC French (Cincinnati) provided for Georgia Southern at quarterback last fall.
In six college seasons, Johnson has thrown for 6,356 yards, 49 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 60.7% of his passes.
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