Aggies Spring Position Preview: Is Conner Weigman Guaranteed QB1?
Believe it or not, the quarterback might be a position of strength for Texas A&M entering the 2023 season. For the first time since 2020, the Aggies have some stability at the most critical position.
While the Haynes King/Zach Calzada experiment seemed fine on paper, the production on the field didn't match. Neither passer was able to steady the offense enough for coach Jimbo Fisher to name either the full-time starter. Calzada transferred to Auburn after starting 10 games in 2021. King, who beat out Calzada in 2021, left for Georgia Tech this offseason.
Both Conner Wiegman and Max Johnson have limited reps in an Aggie uniform. The offense could change with new coordinator Bobby Petrino likely taking over as the primary play-caller. Either way, fans of the 12th Man should exhale a sigh of relief after last season.
Weigman, a freshman from Bridgeland (Cypress, Texas), looked the part of a capable starter. And while Johnson was far from perfect, he did go 2-1 as a starter before suffering a season-ending hand injury against Mississippi State in Week 5.
Spring practice is only a week away. The Aggies will be looking to rebound after a woeful 5-7 finish in 2022. And while everything remains a mystery for the time being, having a more stable answer at quarterback should ease concerns of further regression in College Station for the upcoming season.
Follow along with AllAggies.com as we preview every position entering spring football. Let's start with the one position on everyone's mind.
Key returners: Max Johnson (Redshirt Junior), Blake Bost (Junior), Conner Weigman (Sophomore)
Key departures: Haynes King (Junior), Eli Stowers (Sophomore)
Key newcomers: Marcel Reed (Freshman)
Early Spring Depth Chart Predictions:
1. Conner Weigman
2. Max Johnson
3. Marcel Reed
Nothing should be set in stone until after Petrino spends time implementing his offensive philosophy on the quarterbacks. That said, Weigman did enough late in the year to warrant first-team reps coming out of the gate.
After King struggled to find any bit of consistency, Weigman was named the starter for A&M's matchup against Ole Miss. In his first career start, Wiegman wowed College Station, going 28-for-44 for 338 yards and four touchdowns. He backed up that outing in the Aggies' season finale win over No. 5 LSU, throwing for 155 yards and two scores.
All the tools exist for Weigman to be Fisher's best quarterback prospect since Jameis Winston at Florida State. His touch, poise and command in the huddle won over teammates from the get-go. There's also the consistency factor. Last season, Weigman threw eight touchdowns against zero interceptions in five games.
He also finished with a passer rating of 132.3 and built a rapport with receivers Evan Stewart, Moose Muhammad III, and Noah Thomas. One area Weigman will need to improve is his accuracy after completing just 55.6 percent of his throws on 132 pass attempts.
It's too soon to rule out Johnson, though fans might be less keen on seeing a veteran take reps over the young gun. When asked to start, the LSU transfer was consistent. His best game came against Mississippi State when he completed 73.1 percent of his throws for 203 yards and a touchdown.
Much like Weigman, Johnson never tossed an interception. Also like Weigman, there's little guarantee that last season's minor success will translate over permanently if asked to start an entire 13-game season.
Reed is the wild card, but it's best to assume he'll be learning Petrino's offense from the sidelines this fall. Last season at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville (Tenn.), Reed threw for 2,198 yards and 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He also showed off dual-threat mobility, totaling 944 yards and 15 scores on 146 rush attempts.
Could he start? Perhaps, but it seems unlikely barring an injury to either Weigman or Johnson.
Overall Outlook
Whether or not Weigman feels like the best option, Fisher is keen on keeping things under wraps until the last second. Last season, the sixth-year coach didn't name King the starter until roughly a week before A&M's season opener against Sam Houston State. The year before, Fisher announced King would start just days before the Aggies' Week 1 matchup against Kent State.
In reality, Weigman was the more impressive player. His ceiling is much higher than Johnson's at this point. Not to mention, Petrino is a guru in terms of developing quarterbacks. Instead of forcing a passer to learn his exact style of offense, Petrino often caters to a player's strength, thus focusing on the positives of a game than the negatives.
Johnson could push for reps throughout spring practice, but he might be viewed better as a backup. Still, great teams in college football need stable No. 2 options at quarterback. Imagine if Johnson were healthy all last season in place of King?
Could A&M have finished 8-4? Would 7-5 be plausible?
The Aggies haven't been ranked in the top 30 nationally in passing efficiency since 2015. They last finished top 30 nationally in passing yards in 2014. And the program hasn't had a talent like Weigman walk through its doors since Johnny Manziel was commanding the huddle back in 2013.
For now, Weigman and Johnson will likely each receive the same amount of reps in practice to figure out the future of the position. Then again, Fisher might have seen enough in November to let Weigman enter camp as the clear-cut starter, a first for the program since 2020.
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