Despite On Field Competition, LSU Football Quarterbacks Growing Closer Off the Field
Max Johnson isn't much of a fisher. He doesn't have much experience with four wheel drives. But he's willing to give both a shot with fellow teammates Myles Brennan and TJ Finley.
The competition on the field has been talked about ad nauseam this offseason. The three quarterbacks, along with freshman Garrett Nussmeier, have been battling like crazy in what coach Ed Orgeron has called a wide open quarterback job.
But not much has been made about how these quarterbacks get along off the field. According to Johnson, the relationship has rapidly grown over the last few months as he's learning more and more about his teammates each day.
"I didn't realize that TJ loves riding four wheelers, he goes mudding a lot and I didn't know that about him. That must be a Louisiana thing," Johnson said. "He's a big four wheeler guy and Myles loves to hunt. I didn't know about all of the trips he goes on, the deep sea fishing, he's shown me some pictures of all the fish he's caught.
"It's been a lot of fun just hanging out with each other outside of football. We all wanna go fishing with Myles one day, catch a lot of big fish. It's fun competing on the field and it's good to get to know them outside of football as well."
Since offensive coordinator Jake Peetz's arrival in January, the four quarterbacks have known just how wide open this spot was going to be. But he also wanted these quarterbacks to not only develop a strong relationship with him but an equally strong kinship with each other.
Finley said that comraderie the quarterbacks have developed in the room has been beneficial for not just the competition on the field but the character building of each player off the field as well.
"We are very close as a unit. I feel like this [competition] is also building character in our quarterback room. We're very competitive, we compete with each other every day, we make jokes with each other about the grades that we get," Finley said. "At the end of the day, we're brothers. We're all pushing each other to be the best we each can be and that's one thing that coach Peetz brought into the quarterback room as soon as he stepped in the room. He told us it was going to be a very heated battle but at the end of the day we're all brothers and pushing each other to be the best we can be."
On the field of course the competition is fierce as they're all receiving equal reps with the first team offense. Orgeron said earlier this week that Brennan had a great Thursday practice but that all quarterbacks, including the freshman Nussmeier, have had their moments to shine.
"It's an every day thing, an every day competition but I think we're all battling really well together, in the weight room, outside of football, inside of football, I think we're all just coming together as a team," Johnson said.
