
Quarterback Max Johnson's return to the field for the University of North Carolina (UNC) was nothing short of remarkable. Early this week, the 23-year-old was thrust into the Tar Heels' season opener against Texas Christian University (TCU) after starter Gio Lopez went down with a crushing third-quarter hit.
For Johnson, it was more than just a substitution. A year earlier, in the 2024 opener against Minnesota, he had suffered a devastating broken femur that required five surgeries and left doctors fearing he might lose his leg. Months of grueling rehab followed, shadowed by doubts that he would ever play again.