Breaking: Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher announces Conner Weigman as his starting quarterback

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher announced in his press conference Monday that Conner Weigman has won the starting quarterback job over Max Johnson.

For the third straight offseason, Fisher held a quarterback competition. Both quarterbacks were fairly even until Weigman recently separated himself from Johnson this month, particularly in the second scrimmage of preseason camp.

Fisher choosing to start Weigman should not be considered surprising. Weigman primarily worked with the first-team offense this offseason, with Johnson running with the second unit. He also seems to have much better long-term upside than Johnson.

As a true freshman last season, Weigman showed flashes of why he garnered a five-star rating in the 2022 recruiting class. The Cypress (Texas) Bridgeland product helped jumpstart a struggling offense against Ole Miss and LSU. He also went without throwing an interception.

Overall, Weigman completed 73 of 132 (55.3%) passes for 896 yards and eight touchdowns while turning 27 carries into 97 yards. In his standout performance against the Rebels, Weigman threw a career-high 338 yards and four touchdowns on 28-of-44 (63.6%) passing.

While Weigman will now step into the spotlight, Johnson cannot be completely overlooked. Appearing in 22 games with 17 starts in the last three seasons combined, Johnson brings value as an experienced backup who can play and win games if needed. The second-year transfer from LSU certainly has a case to be perceived as one of the best backup quarterbacks in the country.

Johnson started for the Tigers throughout the entire 2021 season, completing 225 of 373 (60.3%) passes for 2,815 yards and 27 touchdowns with six interceptions. In his first season with the Aggies, Johnson initially served as the backup behind starter Haynes King but eventually replaced him.

After starting only three games, though, Johnson suffered a season-ending broken thumb in his throwing hand (left) at Mississippi State. His absence paved the way for Weigman to play in the final half of the season.

A&M has two other scholarship quarterbacks on its roster: Fresno State transfer Jaylen Henderson and freshman Marcel Reed. Henderson enters his third collegiate season but has completed only five career passes. Reed, a four-star recruit from Nashville (Tenn.) Montgomery Bell Academy, officially joined the Aggies earlier this summer.

The news of Weigman winning the starting job came out five days before A&M starts its season. The No. 23 Aggies open with the University of New Mexico at 6 p.m. Saturday in Kyle Field (TV: ESPN).