Max Johnson’s 2024 season reached a swift end after suffering a broken leg in North Carolina’s Week 1 win over Minnesota. Yet the senior intends to return to the Tar Heels to play one more season, he told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Friday.

“These last eight days have been a serious grind and it has taken a lot to get to [the] other side and start the recovery process,” Johnson said in a statement sent to ESPN. “I want to thank Dr. Templeman and his team, the nurses and support staff at Hennepin County Medical Center who took amazing care of me.”

“It will be hard to sit on the sidelines, but I have a lot of football left in me and know I will be back out there next year,” he added after thanking University of Minnesota doctors, UNC head coach Mack Brown and his staff, athletic trainers, family and friends. “In the meantime, I’ll be there every day supporting my teammates and helping out as much as I can. I appreciate all the love and support from the fans — #GoHeels.”

Johnson had surgery on Aug. 30, following the game the day prior, and has remained in Minneapolis while recovering. According to Brown, Johnson will participate in team activities once he returns to Chapel Hill and is able to travel with the team to be on the sideline when medically cleared.

Conner Harrell takes over as the Tar Heels’ starter after getting beat out by Johnson. As the backup to Drake Maye last season, he appeared in five games (including starting the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against West Virginia) and threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns on 67% passing.

Next season will be Johnson’s sixth in college football. He played his first two years at LSU before transferring to Texas A&M. After a coaching change in College Station, Johnson moved on to North Carolina with two years of eligibility remaining. Whether or not he petitions for a seventh year of eligibility may depend on how next season goes for him.

During his college career, Johnson has thrown for 5,923 yards and 47 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, while completing 61% of his passes.

North Carolina (1–0) hosts Charlotte (0–1) for its Week 2 matchup with kickoff from Chapel Hill at 3:30 p.m. ET.

With margin of error at +/- 3%, the Harris-Tim Walz ticket for Democrats leads Republicans’ Trump-J.D. Vance 48%-47%. The poll from the ECU Center for Survey Research has just 3% undecided, and a poll question on vice president picks shows selections of the Minnesota governor or the Ohio senator, respectively, was not detrimental with voters and if anything, more than affirmed their choice.

Mailing of absentee ballots was scheduled for Friday; a judge’s order may delay it in relation to litigation filed by former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“Kamala Harris has shaken up the presidential election,” said Dr. Peter Francia, director of the poll at East Carolina University. “When Donald Trump’s opponent was Joe Biden, it seemed very likely that North Carolina’s electoral college votes would go again to the Republican presidential candidate for the fourth consecutive time. Now, that seems significantly less certain. The nomination of Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate has moved North Carolina squarely into the category of toss-up states.”

Throughout the campaign, from Biden to Harris, the Old North State has been lodged with six others as a consensus battleground. The seven states represent 93 electoral college votes among them. Pennsylvania has 19, North Carolina and Georgia 16 each, Michigan 15, Arizona 11, Wisconsin 10 and Nevada six.

Harris is trying to do more than break a four-cycle run in North Carolina. Since Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson carried the state and won the presidency in 1964, the 14 cycles since have had just two others from the party carry the state. And neither Jimmy Carter (1976) or Barack Obama (2008) could do it again four years later, with Carter ultimately becoming a one-term president and Obama surviving the setback to finish eight years in the White House.

Trump, scheduled to be in Charlotte on Friday to address the National Fraternal Order of Police, has won the state twice. In 2016 he beat Hillary Clinton 49.8%-46.2% and in 2020 he beat President Joe Biden 49.9%-48.6%. Former President Gerald Ford and Sen. John McCain are the dubious names of the last 60 years he’s trying to avoid joining.

On vice president choices, Trump supporters were 96% more likely to vote for him or the selection had no impact; for Harris supporters, 97% said they were more likely to vote for her or the selection had no impact.

On the matter of results accurately reflecting votes cast, 78% chose either “a lot of confidence” or “some confidence.”

The poll was conducted Aug. 26-28, the week after the Democratic National Convention. Sampling was of 920 likely voters, and the pollster says confidence level of results is 95%.

The tight presidential race is of no surprise, nor is the confirmation of separation by gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein against Mark Robinson. The Democratic attorney general began to lead and pull away in the summer, and Tuesday’s poll release has him up 47%-41% on the Republican lieutenant governor closely tied to Trump. Undecided is 11%, same as a June poll from ECU.

The poll asked about the most important issue in deciding votes. As has been the case all calendar year, money is the winner. The poll had 30% say inflation and the overall cost of living, and 22% said the economy in general. Abortion was third at 14%, a tick above border security (13%). Health care (4%) led the rest of the responses.