Jimbo Fisher updates quarterback competition following scrimmage

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher doesn’t see too much separation in the quarterback competition early in spring practice. After the Aggies first scrimmage Tuesday, Fisher spoke with reporters about what he liked about what each of his quarterbacks showed him.

Although Haynes King and LSU transfer Max Johnson appear to be the top two candidates to start this season, Fisher also complimented true freshman Conner Weigman. The Cypress, Texas, native and five-star recruit was ranked as the No. 2 quarterback in the 2022 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average.

“They all three made plays,” Fisher said. “All three got rotations with ones and twos and threes and different groups. We started off slow because the defense is really good, which kept us off the field. I thought that’s when Haynes started to come out and make some really good plays. Later Max came out and did a really nice job and had some plays. He has a couple of mistakes here and there on reads. We’ve got to get better.

“I thought Conner, for his first scrimmage, was excellent. He got some time with the ones and twos. I thought he handled both of those situations extremely well. All guys we work two minutes, we work red zone, we work goal line, we worked all kinds of things. Different situations in the game. All three guys had some really bright moments and some things they’ve got to work on to stay more consistent and allow us not to get behind the eight ball.”

King began last year as the starting quarterback, throwing for 292 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in the season opener against Kent State. However, he suffered a leg fracture in Week 2 against Colorado that ended his season and allowed Zach Calzada to take over. Calzada transferred to Auburn this offseason, presumably opening the door for King to return as the starter when he is healthy.

But then A&M added Johnson, putting King’s hold on the job in question. Johnson was named the LSU starter last preseason after Myles Brennan suffered an injury. He went on to throw for 2,814 yards, 27 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2021 as the Tigers finished with a 6-7 record.

Jimbo Fisher will continue to evaluate the quarterback competition as the Aggies finish up their spring practices. His final chance of spring to see the players in action will come April 9 at Texas A&M’s annual spring game.