North Carolina Expected to Miss Key Player for Matchup With Clemson

The Clemson Tigers are set to take on North Carolina this weekend in Chapel Hill, N.C., but the struggling Tar Heels will likely be without a key player on Saturday.

North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez is “viewed as doubtful” for the matchup with the Tigers, On3’s Peke Nakos reported Friday morning. Senior Max Johnson is expected to get the start, which would mark his first start since the start of the 2024 season.

Gio Lopez is viewed as doubtful for tomorrow against Clemson, sources tell @On3sports.

Reported earlier the expectation is Max Johnson will get the start https://t.co/b0VQh9Qu7Q https://t.co/ycsl36My9d pic.twitter.com/vj6kAJnfTn
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) October 3, 2025

Lopez was listed as “questionable” in Thursday’s availability report after exiting North Carolina’s Week 4 game against UCF with a right leg injury, and he was unable to practice during the bye week.

“Gio has improved a lot, and, offensively, again, we just haven’t been consistent enough in any area,” head coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday. “But we’re getting closer and we’ll continue to push ahead on that. When Gio is able to practice, we’ll see how much improvement he has made and can make. If he’s not, then other players will be in there.

An updated availability report will be released later Friday night, as well as a final report two hours before kickoff.

The South Alabama transfer has compiled 430 yards through the air and three touchdowns through the first four outings, as well as three interceptions. Lopez has left the game due to injury in both of North Carolina’s wins this season – its opener against TCU and two weeks ago at UCF – and has started all four games thus far.

Johnson, although designated as the backup to Lopez, isn’t necessarily a typical second-string quarterback. The sixth-year senior started his career at LSU before transferring to Texas A&M in 2022, and Johnson hit the portal again two years later and landed at North Carolina. He broke his leg in gruesome fashion in the 2024 opener against Minnesota last year, causing him to miss the vast majority of the season.

Johnson played in the Tar Heels’ first game against TCU, where he went 9-of-11 passing for 103 yards and one touchdown versus the Horned Frogs. He recorded 67 yards through the air at UCF, along with a touchdown two weeks ago.

In a sense, Clemson and North Carolina are in similar situations. Both squads have significantly underperformed thus far and are yet to claim a win over a Power Four opponent. Both are coming off a bye week, and the two programs are looking for any sort of momentum as the season is nearly halfway finished.

While the Tigers find themselves at a disappointing 1-3 through their first four games of 2025, the Tar Heels boast a 2-2 record, most recently falling to UCF, 34-9, two weeks ago in Orlando, Fla.

Saturday will mark North Carolina’s inaugural conference game, but Clemson is still seeking its first ACC victory of the season after losing to Georgia Tech and Syracuse.

The Tigers and Tar Heels will kick off at 12 p.m. EST on Saturday on ESPN in a much-needed win for Clemson against a banged-up North Carolina roster.