Max Johnson packed up and started over at Georgia Southern, and the new tape already reads 2,815 pass YDS, 2,500-yd club.
6′5″ · 220 lb · Athens, GA · Oconee County
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
passing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 372 yds · 5 TD -- top 1% passing TDs game. -- Best game: 281 pass yds, 1 TD, vs Charleston Southern
The play that turned itSwung Texas A&M from 28% to 78% to win.Texas A&M at Ole Miss · 38-35
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior quarterback for Georgia Southern. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
How he plays
Operates within the system without forcing anything.
Interception rate: 84th percentile.
The full scouting readBuzz vs Tape
His own fans are far more bullish than the rival fanbase.
Also worth knowing:
“He left Georgia Southern at just the right time... when Max Johnson gets hurt behind a bad Oline.... they will have a rough year... maybe ecen a whole new coaching staff by 2027.”
Max Johnson
Max Johnson arrives at Georgia Southern with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
PASS YDS · 2,500-YD CLUB
2,815
2815 passing yards — clears the 2,500-QB volume bar.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
The snaps went the other way.
Career arc
Badges
Coaching lineage · 2020–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Chad Lunsford, Kevin Whitley, and Clay Helton. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Georgia Southern
| Season | Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Georgia Southern | 78 | 119 | 65.5% | 712 | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 119.7 | 43 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | North Carolina | 54 | 87 | 62.1% | 437 | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 111.8 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | North Carolina | 12 | 19 | 63.2% | 71 | 3.7 | 0 | 1 | 84.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Texas A&M | 118 | 190 | 62.1% | 1,452 | 7.6 | 9 | 5 | 136.7 | 63 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Texas A&M | 43 | 71 | 60.6% | 517 | 7.3 | 3 | 0 | 135.7 | 36 | -- | -- |
| 2021 | LSU | 225 | 373 | 60.3% | 2,815 | 7.5 | 27 | 6 | 144.4 | 46 | -- | -- |
| 2020 | LSU | 88 | 150 | 58.7% | 1,069 | 7.1 | 8 | 1 | 134.8 | 42 | -- | -- |
| Career | 618 | 1,009 | 61.2% | 7,073 | 7.0 | 51 | 14 | 134.0 | 48 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Georgia Southern | 15 | 9 | 0.6 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | North Carolina | 9 | 38 | 4.2 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | North Carolina | 6 | 10 | 1.7 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Texas A&M | 51 | 27 | 0.5 | 2 | -- |
| 2022 | Texas A&M | 29 | 58 | 2.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2021 | LSU | 78 | -41 | -0.5 | 1 | -- |
| 2020 | LSU | 54 | 119 | 2.2 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 242 | 220 | 0.9 | 6 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 31-0vs Charleston Southern | 28/39 | 281 | 1 | 0 | 7.2 | 66.4 | Season-high 281 yds |
| Wk 2 | L 7-22@ Clemson | 27/47 | 244 | 1 | 0 | 5.2 | 36.4 | |
| Wk 3 | L 27-31@ Jacksonville State | 23/33 | 187 | 0 | 1 | 5.7 | 42.0 | |
| Total | 78/119 | 712 | 2 | 1 | 6.0 | 48.3 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 31–0
281 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 66.4
Dominant 31-point win at home against Charleston Southern.
With A. Smith — 40.3 yards per punt · 4 punts · 42 long · A. Hollins — 8 rec · 106 yds · 1 TD
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +187 passing yards, +1 interception.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Elite: interception rate (84th percentile). Strength: fumbles lost (90th percentile). Concern: explosive rate (5th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Season trend
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)
Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from
Adjusted ANY/A
5.44102 of 126 QBsSack rate
4.0%55 of 126 QBsRarely sacked (55 of 126), but Adjusted ANY/A hasn't followed (102 of 126).
Adjusted ANY/A uses full-season box-score totals (attempts, yards, TDs, INTs); sack rate is play-by-play-derived.
Behind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
Overall 65.5% completion on 119 attempts · 25% completion on 12 deep attempts (20+ air yds).
Zeitgeist Passer Rating
2026 · our own passing-efficiency number, shown next to the 1979 formula it does not replace.
Thin sample: 120 dropbacks43Zeitgeist Passer Ratingnot ranked until 125 dropbacks
--NCAA passer ratingno box-score line yet
Positive-play rate weight 24%
44.6%40th pct of FBS QBsshare of dropbacks that gained expected points · +2.1% schedule adj.Yards per attempt weight 56%
6.2220th pct of FBS QBssacks excluded · -0.2 schedule adj.Sack rate weight 21% (penalty)
4.2%73th pct of FBS QBsthe input passer rating cannot see · +0.1% schedule adj.Opponent-adjusted; garbage time excluded (4 of 124 dropbacks dropped). 50 = FBS average; the number is pulled toward 50 when the sample is thin. Scaled against the 2025 FBS population until enough 2026 QBs qualify. How ZPR is built.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 281 | 1.0 | 7.2 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 216 | 0.5 | 5.5 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 237 | 0.7 | 6.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Clay Helton
Pass share
60.1%
128 pass / 85 run
Plays / game
71.0
3 games
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Play style
Operates within the system without forcing anything.
CFB Index positional classification
Returning starter at quarterback for a 7-6 Georgia Southern team that went -1 in the portal.
Player DNA
Balanced passer who operates within the system, without one standout number carrying the profile.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Max Browne’s 2016 season.
Matches Max on
Differs from Max on
Through 7 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Hayden Wolff’s path through Western Michigan.
Matches Hayden on
Player DNA
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peaked at #248 this season.
2025-26: Played in four games at North Carolina, starting one … Completed 62.1% of his passes for 432 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions … Transferred to Georgia Southern in January. 2024-25: Suffered a season-ending injury in the season opener against Minnesota … Was granted a…