Billups reeled in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Johnson, after the left-handed 6-foot-5 quarterback scrambled out to his left, before finding Billups open on the sideline. An 11-yard touchdown run from transfer running back Darwin Barlow capped the second scoring drive that Johnson led.
“I thought spring went really well,” Johnson said Saturday. “I had to come and learn a whole new system, be around new guys and learn names. I thought it went really well. The workouts in the beginning of spring, January and February, and then I thought I got better throughout the entire spring.
“I think every system is decently similar when it comes to plays. Everybody has their own wrinkles, it’s just the way you call it. I’ve had a couple of people call a ‘curl flat’ three different things. Then here, it’s something completely different. But I’ve enjoyed kind of learning the system, and learning these receivers. Learning the (offensive) line and going over protections.”
Johnson and Conner Harrell are in a two-man race for UNC’s starting job. The two have split reps evenly with the Tar Heels’ first-team offense through spring practices. Harrell is entering his third year at Carolina, having appeared in just four games over the two previous seasons. Johnson joined the Tar Heels this offseason through the transfer portal, after spending two years apiece at LSU and Texas A&M. He has thrown for 5,853 yards and 47 touchdowns across his four-year career in the SEC.
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Harrell noted Saturday that despite being in competition for the starting job, the two quarterbacks have formed a strong bond during their short time together. Johnson said he has played golf with Harrell multiple times, and that the two have paired up on the same team during some of those outings.
“I mean, we’re competing,” Johnson said Saturday, “but at the same time we’re on the same team. I’ve got a really good friendship with him. We go out and play golf. I’ve played with him three or four times. We eat at lunch almost every day with each other. Talk during meetings, talk before meetings, talk after meetings. I’ve got a really good friendship with him. … I think we’re just continuing to bounce ideas off each other.”
Johnson said UNC’s track record for sending quarterbacks to the NFL was one of the main draws that attracted him to the Tar Heels. Johnson pointed to the success of former Carolina star quarterbacks Drake Maye, Sam Howell and Mitch Trubisky in particular, and said that their offenses were “fun to watch.”
Johnson has worked this spring with UNC’s young receivers, who have been used in larger roles due to injuries. Veteran receivers J.J. Jones, Kobe Paysour and Gavin Blackwell have missed spring practices, while top tight ends Bryson Nesbit and John Copenhaver were ruled out for the spring last month. Adjusting to a new offense while navigating that degree of youth and uncertainty has been a process, Johnson said, but one that has shown signs of some recent progress. Johnson looks to build that sort of momentum and continuity when he starts working with UNC’s more proven pass catchers this summer.
“I think at first I was hesitant, whether it was exactly how to call the play, whether that’s exactly how to run it,” Johnson said. “But I think I got very, very comfortable quickly within the first couple of practices. I think I got used to it. And I think Coach (Chip) Lindsey did a really good job of continuing to go over the same things. I was able to just learn each day from myself.”