As UNC enters its fall camp, with only a month left until the season starts, the program must be feeling a new air. It’s not just a question of being successful at UNC, but also has to do with how Belichick wants to do that. So, from Michael Lombardi proclaiming the Tar Heels the 33rd NFL team to Bill Belichick making his players watch NFL and Tom Brady’s tapes. It all seems like an ideological clash between college football’s amateurism and the NFL’s pro-style philosophy. Who would win?

It’s hard to say for now. However, before they could develop an NFL factory at the Tar Heels, the head coach must contend with the issues of the present. Chief among them? The QB position. Belichick brought Gio Lopez from South Alabama after he passed for 2,559 yards and notched up 463 yards on the ground. At that time, the prospects of Lopez performing well in the ACC seemed quite probable, and Belichick was planning his offense with Lopez as the starting quarterback. But another contender emerged.

One can always make a case for you when you have already proven your talent at teams like LSU and Texas A&M. And Max Johnson was coming after passing for 5,853 yards for the two teams and also had a 2,815-yard season with LSU in 2021. Naturally, he can command that QB1 position, as he is coming after a season-ending injury in 2024. Even ESPN’s Wes Durham rode on Johnson’s buzz. “If Max Johnson is able to return to the competition. Gio Lopez, more of a dual threat now. Tough guy, unhealthy, got banged up a lot in the Sun Belt last year. That’s a yellow light for me.” That said, there’s a complication.

Johnson had suffered a season-ending injury after breaking his right femur in the third quarter of the Minnesota game. But now, with one full year into recovery, a comeback was eagerly on the cards as he underwent surgery later on. However, now, according to Bill Belichick, the recovery is taking longer than expected, dampening Johnson’s plans as QB1.

“It’s a big jump for him in terms of what he’s able to do, although I think the progression is very gradual. It’s 1% at a time, 1% at a time. But he’s crossed that threshold. He’ll be ready to participate out there with all the other players,” said Bill Belichick ahead of the 1st practice of the fall camp. Now, it might seem that the road to recovery is long and tedious for Johnson, and rightly so, considering the nature of his injury. For context, he had to be carted off the field after that injury last year. Despite that, the QB is determined to make a comeback, as he says.

A QB1 battle is brewing at UNC for Bill Belichick this fall camp

For the folks wanting to know how talented Johnson is, just watch the highlights of his 2021 season. In that, not only did he start all 12 games for LSU, but he also ranked second in touchdown passes behind only Bryce Young. Moreover, his performance against the Gators, where he handled intense pressure, was commendable, as Ed Orgeron also praised him. “Max stepped up big against Florida, showing he can handle pressure.” Now, recovering from his injury, Johnson is showing the same ability to withstand pressure.

Max Johnson appeared at a recent press conference and answered questions about his availability. He reflected on his time on the sidelines as “tough” and even mentioned how drastic and mentally taxing the injury was. “There was a point in time where I thought I was going to lose my leg,” said Johnson, and later proclaimed that he is ready to come back for the 2025 season now and declared himself to be “totally cleared.”

Of course, when you compare Max Johnson’s ability with Gio Lopez, there’s not much of a difference in that. Yet, Johnson’s experience of playing in the SEC and for top teams like Texas A&M and LSU might give him an edge over Lopez if the QB can make a full recovery. That said, Lopez’s dual-threat talent cannot be underestimated either, and that’s why it looks like we are in for a QB1 battle at UNC for Bill Belichick this fall camp.