<body><div>CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina quarterback <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Max-Johnson-89241">Max Johnson</a> remains hospitalized in Minneapolis, and will need another week or perhaps two more weeks before returning to rejoin the Tar Heels, coach Mack Brown said Monday.Johnson had surgery to repair his broken right leg there on Friday, a day after suffering the frightening-looking injury during UNC's 19-17 defeat of Minnesota in the season opener for both football teams at Huntington Bank Stadium. Johnson was carted off that night due to a broken femur, per multiple sources.Brown said Johnson was expected to have another procedure on Monday, as he updated the situation surrounding the two-time transfer quarterback. Johnson is out for the remainder of the 2024 season. He has another year of college playing eligibility left in the 2025 season, and could petition the NCAA for an additional year beyond that, given that he'll miss all but one game this season due to injury."He will have a full recovery," Brown said Monday at Kenan Football Center. "He's doing well. Emotionally, obviously, this is devastating for him and everybody else. We expect him to be back within a week or two, and he can play again. He has two years left to play if he decides he wants to. So I think that the important thing is he's safe, he can play again, and he has two (more) years. He will not play the rest of this year. The other thing is, it's a little bit delayed. He will not get home as fast as they thought. And he's been taken care of by the Minnesota people. They've really been classy."The Tar Heels on Monday were going about closing the book on their road victory at Minnesota and turning the page to preparations for their approaching home opener on Saturday against the Charlotte 49ers at Kenan Stadium (3:30 p.m., ACC Network).Brown said UNC assistant athletic trainer David Mincberg has stayed behind in Minneapolis to help tend to Johnson. Brown chuckled for a moment Monday when he said "we're probably wearing them out, very honestly," in regard to the frequency with which the Tar Heels have been checking in with Johnson's family. He's the son of former quarterback Brad Johnson, who spent 17 years in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after playing at Florida State in college. Max Johnson's younger brother, Jake Johnson, plays tight end for UNC.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1g426B_0vIOmVzn00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1g426B_0vIOmVzn00" width="620" height="320" ><figcaption>UNC's Max Johnson picks up a first down on the run in the season opener at Minnesota. (Photo: Jim Hawkins / Inside Carolina)</figcaption></figure>Brown said Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck phoned him on Friday morning, after the season-opening game ended about 25 minutes past midnight local time in Minneapolis, inquiring about Max Johnson and intending to go visit him in the hospital. Brown called it a first-class move from Fleck, one of his many friends in the coaching business."As soon as possible, we need to get him back and get him back involved in our program," Brown said of Johnson. "Get him to help coach our quarterbacks. Even up there, when he starts feeling better, we're going to try to get him to Zoom into team meetings, and Zoom into the quarterback meetings and the offensive meetings. Just to make sure that he feels all the love from us and the kids. … They all wanted him to Zoom in yesterday (on Sunday), but he was having some checkup with the doctor at the time, so he couldn't do it."UNC presented game balls to the injured Johnson and new school chancellor Lee Roberts after the season opener. Johnson had been taken to the hospital by the time Brown sat down to begin his postgame news conference late Thursday night. UNC trailed the Golden Gophers 14-7 at halftime and later overcame a pair of fourth-quarter deficits, as Noah Burnette's four field goals provided all of the second-half scoring for the Tar Heels.The 6-foot-5 lefty Johnson supplied UNC's only touchdown at Minnesota. He scrambled in from 3 yards out, diving and extending to reach the end zone early in the second quarter. But UNC's offense mostly struggled during the first half that night. Johnson was 4-of-10 passing for 28 yards and had thrown an interception when halftime arrived.He connected on 8-of-9 passes in the second half, before going down at the 3:02 mark of the third quarter with the scary injury that left him clutching his right knee with both hands in obvious pain. On a third-and-10 at the UNC 33-yard line, Johnson was hit while throwing by blitzing Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley, and went down awkwardly. He finished the game 12-of-19 passing for 71 yards, and rushed for 10 yards on 6 carries. Johnson was sacked twice. He played 51 snaps against the Gophers.Backup quarterback Conner Harrell took UNC's reins on offense after Johnson exited due to the injury, and handled the Tar Heels' final 17 plays of the game. Harrell will make the second starting assignment of his college career on Saturday in the home opener against Charlotte."Love the young guy," Brown said, referring to Johnson. "Appreciate all the hard work he put in to get ready to play, and we dominated the third quarter (at Minnesota) a lot because of his play."So we're very, very sad for him. But we've obviously had a lot of young people that have been hurt in the past, and you can't control what happens in your life. We can control how we respond to it. Our fans are great. They're great with everybody that's had something happen with our kids. And I ask for all of our fans to pray for him and and pick him up, and we'll get him back and try to get him on that sideline as soon as we can."</div></body>

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UNC’s Max Johnson Remains Hospitalized in Minnesota

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina quarterback Max Johnson remains hospitalized in Minneapolis, and will need another week or perhaps two more weeks before returning to rejoin the Tar Heels, coach Mack Brown said Monday. Johnson had surgery to repair his broken right leg there on Friday, a day...

UNC’s Max Johnson Remains Hospitalized in Minnesota

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