Max Johnson's stellar finish just thickened the plot for LSU's offseason
Myles Brennan was not the reason LSU got off to the slow start that it did.
The LSU quarterback averaged 371 passing yards and racked up 11 touchdown passes in 3 games before he went down with a season-ending injury. To say that Brennan was to blame for the Tigers’ stunning 1-2 start would be totally unfair.
Max Johnson was, however, the reason that LSU finished the season the way that it did.
The LSU quarterback averaged 352 passing yards and racked up 8 total touchdowns (6 passing, 2 rushing) in his 2 career starts. To say that Johnson’s presence was massive for the Tigers’ surprising 2-game winning streak to end the season would be totally fair.
And thus begins an offseason of quarterback debate in Baton Rouge.
It’s true that neither candidate has a particularly significant sample size. It’s also true that when LSU kicks off its 2021 season, it’ll need to have an answer for what’s sure to be the biggest question facing the Tigers. That is, assuming Ed Orgeron doesn’t elect to pull some Jeremy Pruitt, um, “stuff” and rotate quarterbacks.
If there’s a silver lining to LSU’s frustrating 2020 season, it’s that it appears to have 2 capable SEC starting quarterbacks. Barring another injury or a surprising transfer, there should be a Johnson vs. Brennan competition in the works. Nothing needs to be manufactured. We saw exactly what played out.
Some will read this fresh off another prolific performance from Johnson in a winning effort and comment/say/think “what battle are you talking about? Johnson is the guy.” You might be right. You might be wrong. All I know is even with that remarkable upset at Florida, 2 games isn’t very much to go on, especially when 50% of that sample size was against Ole Miss’ woeful defense. That’s not to say that Johnson doesn’t deserve praise for hanging half a hundred in his first home start. It’s just worth remembering it came against the No. 122 defense in FBS that couldn’t have tackled Kayshon Boutte in a phone booth (and basically didn’t):
14 Rec. 308 Rec Yds. 3 TD.
🔥 LSU single-game rec yds record
🔥 SEC single-game rec yds record @LSUfootball WR Kayshon Boutte is only a freshman 😳 pic.twitter.com/FoFzp7VXFE
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 20, 2020
Boutte’s emergence is one of the things working in Johnson’s favor. There’s no doubt about that. The rapport they had in the last 3 games was special. Boutte ended the year with 527 receiving yards in those last 3 games.
The Johnson-Boutte connection was similar to the one Brennan had with Terrace Marshall. In those 3 games with Brennan as the starting quarterback, Marshall had 424 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns.
(We should probably make sure Steve Ensminger gets some credit for this. With a major downgrade on the offensive line and so many moving pieces, LSU still had some extremely prolific 2020 moments on offense. Ensminger retired from his OC duties and will be an analyst in 2021, but again, the guy wasn’t the problem with LSU in 2020.)
Obviously, Marshall is off to the NFL, and Brennan will be tasked with getting on the same page as underclassmen like Boutte, Koy Moore and Jaray Jenkins. Johnson got the benefit of working alongside that group down the stretch when they had nearly a full season of SEC competition under their belts. That alone could give the southpaw a leg up heading into spring.
Then again, who knows how this could play out with what looks like a significant staff shakeup. Without Ensminger and passing game coordinator Scott Linehan, who reportedly wasn’t retained, both quarterbacks will have to win over some new offensive coaches.
It’s true that this is a “what have you done for me lately” business, but that shouldn’t necessarily rule out Brennan because he was hurt. He waited 3 years for that opportunity and showed he was ready, albeit in losing efforts when LSU’s defense couldn’t stay on the field with a competent SEC offense. For what it’s worth, Brennan still graded out higher than Johnson by Pro Football Focus. Among SEC starting quarterbacks, only Mac Jones, Kyle Trask, Matt Corral and JT Daniels finished ahead of Brennan.
By no means did Brennan hold the LSU offense back:
Highest-graded QBs on throws 20+ yards downfield
1. Zach Wilson, BYU
2. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
3. Myles Brennan, LSU
4. Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma pic.twitter.com/2antLLC3GZ— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 23, 2020
Brennan stretches the field better than Johnson, and Johnson can make more things happen when the play breaks down than Brennan. They have different skill sets, which is OK.
You could argue that both looked a whole lot better as starters than they ever did coming into a game in relief. That’s to be expected. Well, unless you think like Pruitt.
If you think like Orgeron, you know how important it is to get the quarterback situation figured out. When he didn’t like what he saw in spring 2018, he risked losing the faith of his locker room by bringing in Joe Burrow. If you read Orgeron’s book with Bruce Feldman “Flip the Script,” you got insight on just how crucial that move was for the psyche of that LSU team in 2018 and 2019.
The same could be true of the 2021 team. For all we know, there could be an overwhelming favorite among LSU players by the end of spring. Maybe Orgeron will agree with it, and maybe he won’t. Maybe his new OC hire will help decide.
The good news for LSU is that this time, there won’t be any need to dip into the grad transfer market. There are 2 legitimate signal-callers in Baton Rouge. It wasn’t long ago when it seemed like such a struggle just to find 1.
Johnson ended the season like any true freshman would hope to. He took command of a bad situation and won over a whole lot of people who probably once thought of him as either “QB3” or “Brad Johnson’s son.”
Johnson made a name for himself, and as a result, he made it a much more interesting offseason on the Bayou.
I would say the QB room looks good for LSU next year. I do wonder if the loser of the competition to win the starting job for 2021 will enter the transfer portal.
Good comment/wondering. I like to think that if Brennan starts, Johnson is so young (was a true freshman this year) that he should stay put. Should Brennan not get the nod, he will have to make a move for career purposes …. think Burrow’s decisions at Ohio State.
Best qb room I can ever remember in Baton Rouge. But when does it start to work against you? Sorry maybe I shouldn’t ask a UGA fan that…
I don’t think Johnson will transfer if he’s #2, but Finley might if he’s #3. I think the real question is, what will Brennan do if he’s #2? And I feel like TJ is still in the race because his potential for improvement is the greatest, and the guy kinda is an animal.
And then there’s the chance that incoming #8 pro-style qb freshman Nussmeier will shake things up…. Connor how did you not mention Garrett in an article about LSU’s offseason qb room?? Not saying he’s going to be #1 or #2 but he may push those guys while taking TJ’s #3 spot and “force” him out…or sit behind TJ (if he stays) at #4 and decide to move on himself.
The plot is far thicker than the naïve Connor lets on…
“Sorry maybe I shouldn’t ask a UGA fan that”
Yes since UGA fans collectively vote to determine which QB starts each game.
Well I didn’t mean it that way…
Who would’ve been your vote for UGA QB from the beginning of the season??
I wouldn’t have voted since I wasn’t there for fall camp and practices. And I realize you didn’t mean your comment in that way, however attempting to throw shade at a random UGA fan for giving an opinion about QBs equally doesn’t make sense.
boxster … just trying to get your opinion, lighten up buddy. Again, my comment to Red&Black was more meant to be empathetic and not a troll.
The question stands….when does it start to hurt you to have too many qbs in the room? Does LSU have anything to learn from Georgia?
Anytime a kid doesn’t win the starting job these days, a transfer is a worry. One thing in LSU’s favor is that the season doesn’t count for Johnson so he can afford to wait a little. Not that common sense is always a factor in these transfers.
Both looked great. However, the difference in success had more to do with the defense stepping up with a huge number of turnovers in the last two games. Had they done the same early in the season, LSU would not have been 1-2 to start.
The LSU offense still had ample opportunities to win those games and didn’t. I think Brennan has the better arm but Johnson showed better intangibles and definitely has better mobility. It may come down to who the new offensive coordinator is, but I am pretty confident that whoever wins the job will have a very good season.
The games I viewed…Johnson looked like he rallied the offense…and that Boutte emerged as the real deal at receiver. those two(2) positions are covered for 2021. Finley looked like a statue out there.
Yeah Finley was too inconsistent. From throwing fastballs on short passes to bailing. He showed flashes of being good but then would ruin it with mistakes. Johnson acted like the game was not too big for him.
I like the situation. Johnson looks like he could be the QB of the future, but I’d like to see more accuracy from him. In my opinion, and I know this goes against a lot of LSU fans, Brennan is the better QB and should be the starter next year. I think Johnson still has work to do.
Agree with you 100%.
I think there will be a “QB Comp” but Brennan is the man going in. The real competition is between Max and TJ for 2nd string. Loser is almost certainly hitting the transfer portal. For me the key is for the staff to ID and keep the better of those 2.
The problem is not the QB room, or which one is the starter, but the O-Line needs to step it up big time next year. Better O-line play and a some semblance of a running game will be all the QB’s need. And without that it will be more of the same next year offensively speaking.
^^this^^
Just a reminder, both Florida and Ole Miss committed multiple turnovers and practically gave those games to LSU. Also, among Miss State, Mizzou, Florida and Ole Miss, State had easily the best defense, Ole Miss had easily the worst, and Mizzou and Florida were a wash. LSU didn’t have much of a run game against State or Mizzou. They ran the ball quite a bit better against Florida and Ole Miss. Playing against better defenses and with less run support, Brennan had a slightly higher completion pct. than Johnson. I like Johnson. He has swagger. I think Brennan is the better QB, or, at least, the better passer. What I hope is that Brennan will stay and be physically ready for 2021. That would give Johnson time to develop a bit more. I don’t think Johnson would be too disappointed if Brennan is named the starter. If Johnson is the starter, I’m afraid Brennan might leave.
Brennan’s not Johnson’s problem. He’ll be gone after next year. Nussmeir and Howard are going to bring the heat. I still like Johnson, he’ll be solid back-up in 2021.
I thought Johnson did a great job. If he had been the man after Brennan went down, the season may have been a little better. He seemed more consistent, and had more touch on the ball. Of course no one knows how he practiced, but it looks like QB will not be a glaring weakness for LSU next year.
IF’s a big word. If coach’s would have had a 6′-6, 245 pound quarterback ready to run three QBsneaks we might have beat Mizzou, if Johnson would have gotten the nod in the South Carolina game we might have done better against Auburn’s blitzes, and been better prepared against A&M, but no ifs would have helped against Bama. If so many hadn’t opted out…
After the spring list your QBs according 1,2,3 and then give te #1 first down plays, #2 second down plays and #3 third down plays. If you go for it on 4th down flip a coin. This way all get playing time and will be happy and stay away from that nast transfer portal
For some reason O loves Finley. O loved Pellini and Linehan too. Coach O didn’t have a good decision making year. That’s ok, I’ll give him a pass after last year.
Brennan, Johnson, Nussmeier. Finley transfers
Finley is no slouch and he’s got a cannon, but he’s not very mobile. No pressure and he’s the man. Pressure and he’s lost. He loves LSU, but Brennan’s the leader, barring injuries, Johnson is a stubborn winner and mobile, Nussmeir is gonna be hard to hold back. Looks like the portal’s in the future for TJ if he wants to play. And he’ll play somewhere.
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Gator killer
Good problem to have!
I think so too, and it’s certainly a way better situation than we started this season with. Having three QB’s that have started SEC games should be a big plus. Even if we lose one, two is still way better than zero.
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With Walker Howard and a kid named Manning coming in the near future these Bayou Bengals will have a stacked QB room for a very long time. The rich get richer on the bayou. The best of tiger football has yet to come!
All those legacy names … capping it with a Manning finally going to LSU would be … would be …. ooooooooooh yea!