Max Johnson understands and accepts that some people will consider him to be a poster child for what’s wrong with college football.

Georgia Southern’s new starting quarterback will be playing his seventh year of football for his fourth team when the Eagles kick off their season at 7 p.m. Saturday at Paulson Stadium against Charleston Southern. The game will be televised on ESPN+.

Johnson started his career at LSU, transferred to Texas A&M for two seasons getting a degree in architecture in the process and then spent two years at North Carolina before landing at Georgia Southern.

Johnson suffered through season ending injuries at both A&M and UNC which left him frustrated and feeling unfulfilled. Georgia Southern needed a quarterback and Johnson, well he just needed a place to play.

“I could have given it up,” said Johnson while agreeing seven and four was not necessarily a good look. “I love the game of football and that’s why I keep coming back. I’m a competitor and I love playing. I want to keep playing and whenever you get the opportunity you’re going to go play.”

Johnson, who was the Class 4A Player of the Year at Oconee County High School before signing with LSU, started the final two games of the season for the Tigers as a true freshman. Then was the starter as a sophomore in what proved to be Ed Orgeron’s final season.

When Brian Kelly was hired, he decided to go to A&M to play for Jimbo Fisher and join his brother Jake who is now a tight end at Auburn.

It was at A&M the injury bug struck. Johnson had started three of four games when a broken hand ended his season. The following year he started five games before suffering broken ribs that put him on the shelf.

Having earned his degree Johnson went to North Carolina to play for Mack Brown. In his very first game in a nationally televised game on a Thursday night at Minnesota, he got his leg severely broken, nearly losing it.

Brown was replaced by Bill Belichick and the following spring Johnson missed spring practice. He played in four games, starting one, before figuring out he wasn’t part of Belichick’s future plans.

“I’ve had three freak accidents with broken bones,” Johnson said. “I’ve never had ligaments, never had anything crazy like a hamstring.”

Johnson may be the only player in college football who has played for three coaches who have won national championships and one who has won six Super Bowls: Orgeron at LSU, Fisher at Florida State, Brown at Texas and Beliichick with the New England Patriots.

Now he’s with his fifth head coach in Clay Helton and seventh offensive coordinator in Ryan Aplin

“I’ve learned a lot about myself,” Johnson said. “I learned a lot about resiliency and grit.

.“I’ve had five head coaches and each has their own way of leading a team and I got to see that,” Johnson said. “They all prepare the same way. Practices may be a little different but they all want to win.

“I’ve had to learn completely different types of offenses. Playing for seven offensive coordinators actually allows you to learn offenses quicker.”

When healthy Johnson has put up some outstanding numbers and pulled off big wins in front of large and intimidating crowds.

As a true freshman at LSU, he started the last two games of the season and led the Tigers to a 37-34 win at No. 6 Florida. The following week he set a freshman record when he threw for 435 yards and three touchdowns while running for two in a 53-48 home win over Ole Miss.

As a sophomore he started 12 games and threw for 2,814 yards and 27 touchdowns. He hit 60.3 percent of his passes (225-373) with only six interceptions.

Johnson’s name is sprinkled among the passing leaders in the LSU record book: for a single season his 435 yards passing against Ole Miss in 2020 is seventh, his 480 yards total offense against Ole Miss in 2020 is is eighth and his five touchdown passes against Central Michigan in 2021 is fifth best. .

With 2,815 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2021 Johnson ranks 10th and seventh, respectively, for a single season. On the career list his 35 touchdown passes is eighth.

For his career in 35 games, 24 starts, Johnson is a 60.7 percent passer (540-890) good for 47 touchdowns. He has only 13 interceptions or one every 68 attempts.

Johnson’s goals for the season are pretty basic.

“I want to perform well, of course,” Johnson said. “That’s my individual goal and for the team to win a championship. That’s our goal, nothing more.”