Aggies Name Conner Weigman Starting QB For Season Opener
COLLEGE STATION -- After a month of fall camp, plus the entirety of spring football, Texas A&M has its starter for Week 1's showdown at Kyle Field against New Mexico.
Sixth-year coach Jimbo Fisher officially named Conner Weigman the starter for Saturday's matchup against the Lobos at 6 p.m., thus ending the back-and-forth battle between the sophomore and redshirt sophomore Max Johnson.
Weigman was the projected favorite entering spring practice after closing out the year as A&M's starter in place of Johnson and initial starter Haynes King.
"[Conner] and Max both had great camps. They played very well," Fisher said Monday during his weekly press conference. "[It was] a very tough decision, but you have to make a decision."
Weigman, a former five-star quarterback recruit from Bridgeland (Cypress) High School, entered spring football as the front-runner to win the job after leading A&M to a 2-2 record, including a 38-23 upset win over then-No. 5 LSU. The 6-3, 215-pound freshman made headlines in his first start against No. 15 Ole Miss, throwing for a career-high 338 yards and four touchdowns.
Each week, Weigman seemed to feel more comfortable commanding the huddle and Fisher's offense. In A&M's season finale victory over rival LSU, Weigman completed a career-high 66.7 percent of his passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back De'Von Achane also rushed for a career-high 216 yards to close out his time in College Station before entering the NFL Draft.
"The main thing I've seen out of both of those guys, and I feel like the most important thing is the leadership qualities," senior receiver Ainias Smith said. "They're not worried about who is going to win the spot; they just want to win. That's what you need in your quarterback — a winning mentality.
Fisher made it an open competition between Weigman and Johnson entering spring ball after both passers succeeded in 2022. Weigman threw for 896 yards and eight touchdowns in five games. Johnson, who started 18 games in two years at LSU, threw for 517 yards and three TDs in three games.
Johnson initially replaced King following A&M's 17-14 loss in Week 2 to Appalachian State. He led the Aggies to back-to-back top-25 wins against No. 13 Miami and No. 10 Arkansas before suffering a season-ending hand injury against Mississippi State.
King transferred this offseason to Georgia Tech and recently was named the Yellow Jackets' starter for Week 1's matchup against Louisville.
Weigman and Johnson were asked to learn a new offense under former Arkansas and Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino. Last season, the Aggies finished 93rd nationally in total yards and 101st in scoring, their lost totals since joining the conference in 2012.
"I love him. He's a very smart guy," Weigman said of Petrino's offensive approach earlier this offseason. "He gives us every little detail we need to know about a play. That's what it takes to be a quarterback. You got to know what's going on.
Fisher said having experience with Johnson's previous starts should benefit the Aggies for both depth and in case of injury.
"Both guys will be ready to play and can play," Fisher said. "I think we're very blessed and as we said last year, it takes multiple guys to get through a season.
"When you have two quality guys like that, it really makes a difference."
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