Texas A&M and head coach Jimbo Fisher have a lot to be proud of after the teams’ performance during Saturday’s Maroon and White Spring Game, and even though several other areas of play stood out the brightest, quarterback, and the continued competition between former five-star sophomore Conner Weigman and veteran southpaw senior Max Johnson will continue to stay in the headlines.
On the afternoon, Max Johnson went 21-37 for 273 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions, while Conner Weigman completed 17-40 for 243 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Oh, and if an update for the head coach is what you’re looking for, Jimbo Fisher made it clear that competition at every postion is up for grabs ahead of the 2023 campaign.
“It’s going to be competition all the time, every week,” Fisher stated. “All the way until the end of next year. Every position’s going to be that way. If you don’t practice in the game… You want competition every day and guys you feel comfortable with. To name a starting quarterback today, what does that mean? Nothing.”
Even in an exhibition game, there was a winner and a loser, as Johnson’s White team defeated Weigman’s Maroon-led squad 33-19 behind his three touchdown passes to three different receivers on the day. Not to take away from Conner Weigman’s impressive performance regardless of his 42% completion percentage, specifically connecting with ascending sophomore wide receiver Evan Stewart for 97 yards on the afternoon.
All in all, both signal callers showed off their arm strength and improvement in the pocket after enduring the frustrating nature of the 2022 campaign, knowing that whoever takes over as QB 1 in the Fall, the other will act as perhaps the best insurance policy in college football next season. After the game, head coach Jimbo Fisher agreed with their noted improvement through the ongoing competition.
“They’re two competitors. They’re always going to want to keep battling each other,” Fisher stated after the spring game “You’re glad you have two guys capable of making plays like that… both of them came to shine.”
With the game being played on a shortened field due to construction in the south endzone, this could have been a very weird and awkward QB battle, but after Johnson dropped back on 2nd and 6 and unleashed a 52-yard rocket down the sideline to freshman wideout Micah Tease for the first score in the first quarter, it looked as if the truncated field had zero effect on the Aggies new look passing offense.
Johnson struck first, while Weigman had his moments in a less consistent manner, but continued to show just why his preseason hype is based on his natural traits as a passer. Finally finding the endzone in the fourth quarter, Weigman battled back from his second-quarter interception to find freshman wide receiver Pierce Turner for a 28-yard touchdown.
However, Johnson’s gutsy performance most likely created a lasting impression in Jimbo Fisher’s mind after connecting with Ainias Smith on another deep ball in the final minutes of the fourth quarter for what was initially just a 38-yard gain, which eventually changed into a touchdown. Fisher continued to applaud both performances.
“Both of them came back and battled after they had some mistakes and had some things go wrong,” Fisher stated. “That’s part of the game and I think both showed a lot of maturity in that way.”
One perspective that cleared up a lot of the development questions for both players was that of senior wide receiver Ainias Smith, who praised Johnson and Weigman’s downfield passing ability which is sure to take a leap next season under offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino’s guidance.
“Connecting downfield is one area where both of them are improving,” Smith stated. “They were already great at that, but it’s starting to look a little more consistent. On top of that, they’re voicing their opinions. They’re voicing how they feel the team should be going, and that has improved a whole lot this year. “The attitude that they have toward winning has really improved.”
In essence, yes, this is a competition while Conner Weigman continues to remain as the presumed starter after his performance to end the 2022 season, but due to Max Johnson’s week 4 hand injury that sidelined him for the rest of the year, the “what could have been” aspect is extremely intriguing coupled with his fierce competitor-like mentality and SEC experience. So, buckle up folks, we’re in for a wild ride.
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