Max Johnson injury update: Bill Belichick provides latest rehab timeline

Going into the 2025 season, the North Carolina Tar Heels return Max Johnson at quarterback. That’s after he missed almost the entirety of last season with a devastating leg injury.

Summer is underway now around college football and while practice and the season are both still weeks away, head coach Bill Belichick shared where Max Johnson currently stands in his recovery. Despite that, Belichick wasn’t able to guarantee when he’ll be able to return to the field.

“Max is doing very well,” Bill Belichick said. “His rehab has been long and I have a lot of admiration for him. It’s a tough injury, but nobody’s worked harder than he has, and he certainly is able to do a lot more than he was last spring. So, we’ll see exactly where he is when things start, but it’s a whole lot closer, and we certainly expect to see him out there. So, it’s been very encouraging.”

2025 will be Max Johnson’s sixth season of college football. The son of Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson, he transferred to North Carolina ahead of the 2024 season, and before Bill Belichick was coaching in Chapel Hill. Prior to that, he had played for LSU and Texas A&M, starting 22 games for those two teams. Johnson has thrown for 5,853 yards and 47 touchdowns while completing 60.5 percent of his passes.

Max Johnson would only start one game on the road against Minnesota. However, in the third quarter, he went down with that injury, which forced him to leave the field on a cart. It would later be revealed be a broken leg. He’d finish that game 12 of 19 passing for 71 yards and an interception. He also rushed for a touchdown.

Certainly, Bill Belichick and Max Johnson both hope he’ll be healthy enough to by Week 1. However, as long as there are questions about his health, he’s going to need to find a viable second option ahead of the season. Along with Johnson, Belichick brought in freshman Bryce Baker. A four-star recruit, he was the ninth-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2025. The Tar Heels also list DJ Mazzone on their roster at quarterback. Now in his second college season, he redshirted in 2024.

Last season, Max Johnson would largely be replaced by Jacolby Criswell. However, he’d leave the program and transfer to East Tennessee State.

North Carolina will kick off its season on September 1st against TCU inside Kenan Stadium. Hopefully, Max Johnson is going to be healthy enough to compete for the starting job by the time the season begins.