North Carolina coach Bill Belichick is turning to senior quarterback Max Johnson to start Saturday's game against Clemson after Gio Lopez was ruled out.
Lopez, who opened the season as the starter, will not play because of a lower-body injury suffered two weeks ago during a 34-9 loss to UCF.
Johnson replaced Lopez against the Knights and played during the season-opening blowout loss to TCU. He has gone 20-for-30 for 170 yards with two touchdowns.
Those two games were his first action since suffering a catastrophic leg injury suffered in the 2024 opener at Minnesota.
Lopez has completed 42 of 67 passes for 430 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions for the 2-2 Tar Heels.