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Texas A&M Football: Is it Max Johnson time in College Station?

By Brandon Martinez

Sep 3, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Max Johnson (14) throws the ball against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Max Johnson (14) throws the ball against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 3, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Max Johnson (14) throws the ball against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Max Johnson (14) throws the ball against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports /

After an embarrassing loss to Appalachian State last night, there’s a lot of talk swirling around the Texas A&M football team and their quarterback decision. A few days before the season started, head coach Jimbo Fisher announced that Haynes King had won the starting quarterback job over LSU transfer Max Johnson and true freshman Conner Weigman.

In the team’s first contest against Sam Houston State, King showed some good things. He totaled over 360 passing yards and threw for three touchdowns, two of which were 60+ yard scores. He had some accuracy issues and made a couple poor decisions which led to two interceptions, but overall he played a fine game.

On Saturday, though, it was a different story. Everyone was expecting fireworks in this matchup, but it was exactly the opposite. The offense only put up seven points, which was a 26-yard scamper by Devon Achane, our player of the game. The offense couldn’t get anything going through the air, as King was held to just 97 passing yards.

The redshirt sophomore completed 13 of his 20 attempts, but for just 7.46 yards per completion. There wasn’t a single completion of over 20 yards for King on Saturday. The aggression that was stressed by Fisher before the season was not there on Saturday.

Is it time for Max Johnson to run the offense for Texas A&M football?

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 03: Max Johnson #14 of the Texas A&M Aggies warms up prior to facing the Sam Houston State Bearkats at Kyle Field on September 03, 2022 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 03: Max Johnson #14 of the Texas A&M Aggies warms up prior to facing the Sam Houston State Bearkats at Kyle Field on September 03, 2022 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

So now, the question is if Johnson will get a chance to start, or at least get considerable playing time against Miami this week. He did see a handful of snaps late into Week 1, where he completed three of four pass attempts for 23 yards.

One of the main reasons King won the starting job out of camp was because he fit the mold Fisher was looking for when it came to being more aggressive on offense. He’s fast, he has a big arm, and he likes to take chances down the field. However, those things come and go with him, as they didn’t show up on Saturday.

The Aggies now sit at 1-1 and fans are panicking. In a season where things are supposed to start coming together, things have taken a big turn with an ugly loss to the Mountaineers. This train needs stability, and Johnson can offer that.

Coach Fisher was asked after the game if there will be a change at quarterback for next week’s matchup against the Hurricanes. He didn’t give a straight answer, as expected, but he did say that things will be “evaluated”.

Whether the season has more potential with King, it also has more potential to fail with him. This team needs one more season of success, if that’s what you’d like to call eight or nine wins, to get this team to gel together and let these young ones grow.