Texas A&M will make QB change, Max Johnson to start

The story of the Texas A&M’s season so far has the been lackluster performance of redshirt-sophomore quarterback, Haynes King. The Aggies suffered a stunning loss to Appalachian State in week two, in which King was 13-for-20 for only 97 yards and no touchdowns.

It appears now that Jimbo Fisher will make a change to the starting quarterback position, announcing Max Johnson will start against No. 13 ranked Miami on Saturday night.

Johnson, a junior, transferred into Texas A&M this offseason after spending two seasons at LSU.

At LSU, Johnson appeared in 18 games, starting 14. In his time there, he amassed 3,884 yards and 35 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. He completed 60% of his passes and boasted a quarterback rating (QBR) of 139.6.

If anyone knows about leading a team in disarray to beat a highly ranked program, it’s Johnson. The last time Johnson started a game was the regular season finale of last season, when Johnson and unranked LSU beat No. 15 ranked Texas A&M, just weeks before he would transfer to the Aggies.

Through the first two games of this season, Johnson has appeared only in the season opener, where he completed 3 of 4 passes for 23 yards.

While facing No. 13 ranked Miami will be a test for Johnson, it is certain something nothing he isn’t used to. In his college career, Johnson has squared off against nine ranked opponents. In fact, Johnson faced seven ranked teams in an eight week span last season as the starter for LSU.

How we got to this point in the Texas A&M QB room

King was initially the starter last season, but suffered an injury, which led Zach Calzada to take the majority of the snaps before he headed to Auburn via the transfer portal. Then, Fisher hit the portal to bring in Johnson from LSU and landed a highly touted recruit in Conner Weigman as part of its No. 1-ranked recruiting class, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking. 

Weigman was a five-star recruit and the No. 28 player in the nation from the class of 2022, according to the On3 Consensus. As a senior, he racked up 34 touchdowns and piled up nearly 2,900 total yards for his high school. On3’s JD PicKell has called him, “the guy of the future in College Station.”

I would expect King to be moved to backup behind Johnson while Weigman is still third on the depth chart. It is not clear if Weigman will get a chance at reps this season. He could still be an option for Texas A&M as the season progresses. But for Saturday, Johnson will be the guy.