Big Ten Daily: Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald Announces Starting Quarterback

Hunter Johnson was named Northwestern's starting quarterback, Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith announced an NIL deal with Roc Nation and Northwestern will be without running back Cam Porter and offensive lineman Zachary Franks for the entire season. Here's the latest from around the Big Ten.

Author:
D.J. Fezler
Publish date:
Aug 17, 2021 4:47 PM EDT

Northwestern football has its starting quarterback for its season opener against Michigan State on Sept. 3. Coach Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats' program announced Tuesday that senior Hunter Johnson will start under center.

Johnson, a native of Brownsburg, Indiana, began his college career at Clemson before transferring to Northwestern in 2018. He was a former five-star recruit out of Brownsburg high school.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound signal-caller appeared in seven games for Clemson. He completed 21 of his 27 passes for 234 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Tigers.

Johnson was the backup to starting quarterback Peyton Ramsey during the 2020 season. The year prior, Johnson played in six games while completing 50 of his 108 passes and for 432 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.

He was in a quarterback battle with South Carolina transfer Ryan Hilinski.

Penn State Linebacker Enters NIL Deal With Jay-Z's Roc Nation

Brandon Smith, a junior linebacker for Penn State, announced Tuesday that he entered a deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation to utilize his name, image and likeness.

Roc Nation is one of the world's preeminent entertainment companies. It deals with many facets, such as music, sports, film and television.

Smith, a 6-foot-3, 241-pound linebacker out of Louisa, Virginia, has played two seasons with the Nittany Lions. He has recorded 51 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass deflections, one interception and one fumble recovery.

Last season, Penn State finished with a 4-5 overall record. The team started the season with five straight losses before winning its final four. The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 19 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.

Penn State opens its season on the road against Wisconsin on Sept. 4.

Northwestern Starting RB, OL to Miss 2021 Season With Injury

While Northwestern may have found its starting quarterback to open the season, there comes unfortunate news out of practice Tuesday.

The Wildcats announced that projected starting running back Cam Porter and offensive lineman Zachary Franks suffered lower-body injuries that will cause them to miss the entirety of the 2021 season.

During the 2020 season, Porter had 301 yards and four touchdowns during the team's final three games. In a victory over Northwestern, he recorded 24 carries for 142 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

With the loss of Franks, Northwestern will have the difficult task of finding a consistent rushing attack without Porter in the lineup as well.

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