The North Carolina football program started their season with a matchup against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on the road Thursday night. Mack Brown's team features former Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Max Johnson as their starting signal caller, and Johnson had a solid start in the opening contest. However, the Tar Heels were dealt a tough blow when Johnson left the game with what appeared to be a right knee injury, according to multiple reports on X, formerly Twitter.

“UNC QB Max Johnson leaving the game on a cart after injuring his right knee,” stated Action Network HQ's Brett McMurphy on the social media platform.

In a new look ACC, Brown and his program are almost certainly better with a veteran field general like Johnson leading the way. The son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson, the graduate transfer was seeking a fresh start after graduating from Texas A&M after last season. Hopefully Thursday night's knee injury isn't as serious as looks. If it is, then it could be a long season for UNC.

North Carolina football hopes to have Max Johnson back soon

Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive lineman Danny Striggow (92) makes a tackle on North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Max Johnson (14) during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
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During stints with Texas A&M and LSU, Johnson showed multiple times why he could compete in the NFL. Like his father, he has a big, sturdy frame and knows how to maneuver inside the pocket. He has a strong arm, is poised and pretty accurate as well. If this knee injury isn't too serious, then the graduate transfer will look to lead his new program to the ACC title game, if not further. This season is the first campaign featuring the new 12-team College Football Playoff, so the odds of winning a national championship have gone up drastically.

Yet, based on the reports, it doesn't look like a promising diagnosis for Johnson. One only hopes it's not something as serious as a torn ACL. WRAL's Pat Welter provided more insight on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the injury.

“Potential knee injury for Max Johnson doesn't look good on the replay,” said Welter in a post on the social media platform. “Conner Harrell warming up on the sidelines. He courageously stood in the pocket trying to make a play on third and long and got tackled awkwardly. #unc”

UNC gutted out a 19-17 win on Thursday. Even though Harrell wasn't the most effective in replacing Johnson, he still helped lead them to victory. In a season where every win still counts, making sure the former Aggies and Tigers quarterback is healthy and ready to stay on the field could be key to their success moving forward.