Bill Belichick met with the media on Tuesday at the Kenan Football Center, answering questions regarding updates on the UNC football program's offseason.
Now just two months out from the start of training camp, Belichick fielded a wide-range of questions, hoping to give everyone the opportunity to, in his words, "catch up on UNC football."
One of the big questions asked at the jump of the media session was the status of veteran quarterback Max Johnson. As we know, Johnson suffered a season-ending injury in the Tar Heels' 2024 season opener, an injury that still has him working his way back toward a return to the field.
Belichick admires Johnson for the hard work he has put in during this process, adding that the signs he has shown have been very encouraging.
"Max is doing, doing very well. His rehab has been long, and I have a lot of admiration for him. It 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."
A few weeks ago, Johnson shared a video on social media that featured him working out on the football field, throwing the ball around. While there are obviously no pads or defensive linemen chasing him, it was excellent to see him getting some work in, especially considering the severity of the injury.
There's no guarantee that Johnson will be ready for the start of the season. In fact, it's probably a long shot to happen. However, Johnson is working tremendously hard to get himself back on the field, as his presence in an unknown quarterback situation would certainly make the competition for the starting quarterback job a lot more intriguing.