Southern Alamance’s Tustin Johnson aims for August return after knee surgery

Tustin Johnson spent the summer on the long road back from left-knee surgery, with Southern Alamance hoping its quarterback and lacrosse standout can return in time to help the Patriots in August. Johnson had surgery April 24 after his kneecap dislocated and doctors diagnosed a torn patellar tendon and a strain of the medial collateral ligament.

The setback came after another lost season. Johnson had already missed the 2024 football season when an all-terrain vehicle accident broke his left arm, and he said this recovery feels like another test of patience after a run of bad luck. “I didn’t get to play a snap last year at all,” he said. Johnson said he preferred to have the surgery done and handle the rehab now rather than risk a bigger long-term problem later, and he estimated the recovery would take about four months.

At Southern Alamance High School, Johnson has been around the football program in a limited offseason role while the Patriots wait on his knee to heal. The school’s athletic department lists Stephanie Smith as athletic director and Kelsey McGinn as athletic trainer, and Southern fields football, boys’ basketball and boys’ lacrosse, the three sports in which Johnson has made his mark. He was a starter for the Patriots’ boys’ basketball team and has built roughly 2 1/2 seasons of varsity playing time across multiple sports.

Johnson’s profile on MaxPreps lists him at 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds and identifies him as a quarterback in football and a player in boys’ lacrosse and boys’ basketball. A September 2025 football article had already established him as Southern Alamance’s starting quarterback, making his absence during the 2024 season especially notable for a team that had to change its offensive plan without him.

The timeline leaves little room for a slow ramp-up. North Carolina High School Athletic Association football practice begins July 29, and the first contest date is Aug. 7. Johnson said last week that Aug. 11 could be the date when he returns to full activity, which would put his comeback just after the start of official practice and right around the opening games. For Southern Alamance, and for Alamance County fans who have watched his career across three sports, the next month will determine whether a player known for resilience can make it back before fall fully arrives.