Jimbo Fisher addresses Max Johnson's struggles, potential change

Texas A&M QB Max Johnson had his third start this past weekend in the place of the injured Conner Weigman. While it again wasn’t the best outing for him in Knoxville, Jimbo Fisher came to his defense after the game.

Fisher spoke about Johnson’s performance following the Aggie’s 20-13 loss to Tennessee inside Neyland Stadium. He said that they could all do better as an offense, not just Johnson, and that mistakes are going to happen when you have the passing volume that Johnson had this weekend.

“Well, listen, guys – no. We’re not blaming,” said Fisher. “We all could make plays – we can get open better, we can block better, we can give him a better pocket. Max is playing good football.”

“Every time a quarterback makes a drop? If you get 50 passes in a game, there’s one or two where you’ll say, ‘Yeah, I wish you’d have went here,'” Fisher said. “I don’t care when you throw for 900 yards – that happens.”

Johnson went an inefficient 16-34 (47.1%) against the Volunteers on Saturday afternoon. Those throws went for 223 yards, no touchdowns, and a pair of interceptions.

As a whole, it was another step down for Johnson as his completion rate and touchdowns have decreased in each of his starts. Meanwhile, his interceptions have gone up.

Still, Johnson is A&M’s QB1 and Fisher is going to continue to back him. He sees a quarterback that’s fighting for them and, if nothing else, that’s what matters to him.

“Max is a really good player, a great kid. He competes his butt off,” Fisher said.

Fisher delivers message to fans, boosters after loss

Jimbo Fisher cares about his program’s fans and boosters. However, he cares about his players more. After Texas A&M’s seven-point loss to Tennessee on Saturday, Fisher addressed his team’s recent shortcomings.

“We have to coach them better. (We) have to become fundamentally better and be able to execute in critical moments,” Fisher said. “They ain’t hurting no more than our kids are – those players in the locker room. Don’t put (fans and boosters) above the players. I love our fans and I love our people who give money, but those kids are what’s important. That’s why they are giving.”

Texas A&M boasts one of the most supportive fan bases in the nation. Those fans support their favorite team financially. Since the inception of NIL, Texas A&M has benefitted from its fanbase. The 12th Man’s most significant contributions came in the form of “The Fund,” which is now publicly known as Texas Aggies United. The organization launched in September as the exclusive and official NIL partner of Texas A&M.

Nonetheless, the Aggies’ season has been far from golden. The team is 4-3 and on a two-game losing streak, most recently falling 20-13 to Tennessee.