Should Max Johnson Be Texas A&M's Favorite To Win QB1 This Spring?
Things are never cut and dry when talking about football. Nothing is ever set in stone with the constant carousel of turnovers and injuries that occur daily.
For Texas A&M, the question at quarterback could be answered this spring. Heck, A&M coach Jimbo Fisher could be sitting behind closed doors with his mind made up on who will the title of QB1.
Max Johnson arrived in College Station for a reason. It wasn't to ride the bench after already showing what he could in an SEC offense. Add in his stat line and upside as a passer, it's hard to imagine him not being a favorite to start Week 1 against Sam Houston State.
Johnson comes from a football background and has been entrenched with quarterback knowledge since a young age. His father, Brad, played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won a Super Bowl in 2003 as the starting quarterback.
There's also the production aspect. In 2020, Johnson closed out the regular season for LSU following injuries and inconsistent play from Myles Brennan and TJ Finley. His highlight game against Florida put him in line to battle for starting reps entering 2021.
Last season, Johnson finished top five among SEC quarterbacks in every major category. One of his better performances came against A&M in the regular-season finale. He threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winning 28-yard pass to receiver Jaray Jenkins with 28 seconds remaining.
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There's still much unknown with former starter Haynes King and his return. Even prior to his season-ending leg injury in Week 2, King struggled with consistency. In the season opener against Kent State, the Longview native tossed two red zone touchdowns passes and threw three interceptions.
Fisher is high on incoming freshman Conner Weigman, calling him the "top quarterback of the class" during the Early Signing Period. Weigman graded out as SI99's No. 3 quarterback prospect and the No. 32 overall ranked player.
What King and Weigman are missing is what Johnson has: experience. This isn't to say that both passers could look significantly better in spring practice, but as the days continue to tick away, Johnson is the one with reps against top-tier opponents.
Although Fisher wanted young brother and high potential tight end prospect Jake Johnson, Max Johnson was offered a scholarship. Even with LSU's hiring of Brian Kelly, it would be hard to imagine Max Johnson not walking away with the title of QB1 after the Tigers failed to bring in a top transfer this offseason.
Johnson has the tools and the experience that A&M needs to enter the next level of SEC contenders. If he shows it during spring ball, Fisher might not have to wait to name a starter much longer.
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