With QB Max Johnson out for the season, Tar Heels turn to Conner Harrell to be ‘the guy’

One look at Jake Johnson and Mack Brown knew. The coach just knew.

It was late Thursday night after North Carolina’s 19-17 season-opening win at Minnesota. Brown had completed his postgame session with the media, where he was asked about starting quarterback Max Johnson being injured, carried off the field and taken to a Minneapolis hospital.

Sophomore Conner Harrell took over at quarterback as the Tar Heels came from behind to win, riding Noah Burnette’s four field goals. Johnson’s status was the biggest question mark after the game at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Brown told the media he had no further update on Johnson’s condition or the severity of the third-quarter leg injury. Leaving the interview area to return to the UNC locker room, he ran into Jake Johnson, Max’s younger brother and a tight end for the Heels.

“I saw Jake and I could tell he wasn’t doing great,” Brown said Monday. “I said, “Did you talk to your brother?’ and he said yeah. And then the doctor came in and I said, ‘Tell me, how’s Max?” He said. ‘Do you want me to tell you?’ and I said yes.”

The doctor said what Jake Johnson couldn’t bring himself to tell Brown: It was a broken leg, not a twisted knee or bad hip bruise. The season was over for Max Johnson, the transfer from Texas A&M and a graduate student who emerged from fall camp as the UNC starter, even as Brown kept that decision in-house until game day.

Coaches always talk about the ability to handle “sudden change” in games and the Tar Heels had to do it with Johnson’s injury – both in the opener and for the season.

Harrell now is QB1 and will start Saturday’s home opener against Charlotte at Kenan Stadium, Brown said. Jacolby Criswell will be the backup and Michael Merdinger, a freshman from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will be the No. 3 quarterback.

Harrell was the UNC starter in the 2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl after quarterback Drake Maye decided to enter the NFL draft and opted out of the game in Charlotte. Now, he’ll be one counted on to run the offense – run the show, be “the guy” at quarterback.

“When you’re not the guy, it’s hard to feel like you’re the guy,” Brown said. “And he’s been told, ‘You go do it.’ And the team’s been told, ‘Rally around your new quarterback and let’s go, let’s make this work.’

Johnson will remain in Minneapolis with an assistant trainer for a week or two and has undergone another medical procedure, Brown said Monday. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck has visited Johnson, Brown said. Harrell’s mother called.

Once back in Chapel Hill, Johnson will be fully integrated into the team in every way other than being able to play on Saturdays, Brown said. He will do what he can during game prep to help Harrell and Criswell, the former Tar Heel who returned to the UNC program this year as a graduate transfer from Arkansas.

“We’ll start over,” Brown said. “We’ve had hard discussions since Thursday about who we need to be now, what’s our personality going to be, what’s our identity going to be?”

The answer, Brown said, is easy enough.

“We’re going to be a physical, running football team with play-action,” he said. “That hasn’t changed. What we have to do is figure out how to create more explosives in the passing game.”

Maye, with his big-league arm, was a threat to strike for explosive plays on any given snap. Harrell will have to prove he can do that or the Heels will face defenses fully stacked to stop junior running back Omarion Hampton.

“Our goal is to build the offense around his strengths,” offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said Monday of Harrell. “He’s got a big arm. He can throw the ball down the field. The more he plays, the more confidence I think he’ll play with.”

Harrell completed two of four passes against the Gophers, but it was a 32-yard catch-and-run by wideout J.J. Jones that led to Burnette’s winning field goal with 1:44 left. Harrell made a good decision on the play, moving to his left, drawing the cornerback in to stop the run threat and then throwing over him to an open Jones on the sideline.

After Burnette’s go-ahead kick, the Gophers moved into field goal range but missed a 47-yarder as time expired as the Tar Heels – 13-3 overall in season openers with Brown as coach – won the ACC vs Big Ten matchup.

“Some people would say we were too conservative,” Brown said. “Your job is to win the game. What we did is, we did what we needed to do to win the game.

“I’m not saying it’s pretty. No one gives you stars for ‘pretty.’ It’s either a W or a loss.”