BATON ROUGE, La. — Myles Brennan came to LSU as Ed Orgeron’s supposed next-big-quarterback. He was the No. 6 pro-style passer in the country. He was sold on this new spread scheme and being the first quarterback to really take the LSU offense into a new era. He saw the field as a freshman, and it all seemed right there in front of him. Sooner or later.
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Then Joe Burrow transferred in. Then Brennan hurt his back. Then, after finally getting his chance as starter last fall, he tore his abdomen and missed the rest of the 2020 season. Then Max Johnson made it a tight quarterback battle entering preseason practice.
And now, Brennan will undergo surgery Tuesday on a broken left arm, likely keeping him out for most of the 2021 season. It all but seals sophomore Johnson earning the quarterback job to start the season against UCLA.
Sources tell The Athletic Brennan had a freak fall in which he landed on his left arm, tried to fight through through the pain and eventually went in to discover a broken humerus bone. It brought back memories of Brennan playing against Missouri with the torn abdominal muscle and still throwing for 430 yards on adrenaline before missing the rest of the year. This time, it might have crushed the fifth-year senior’s hopes of finally becoming the star LSU quarterback.
Due to COVID-altered NCAA rules, Brennan does have another year of eligibility remaining thanks to the 2020 year not counting against him. Plus, he likely could get a medical redshirt to add a year. So Brennan’s college football days are not necessarily finished.
But in practical terms, it ends LSU’s highly anticipated quarterback battle. Johnson will take over after finishing last season 2-0 in his two starts, including taking down No. 6 Florida on the road to eliminate the Gators’ playoff chances. In those two starts, Johnson showed an ability to manage the offense like somebody beyond his years, plus he brought mobility that LSU desired from the position.
That finish led to Johnson — the son of Super Bowl-winning QB Brad Johnson — earning the first reps during LSU’s four-man competition this spring, as Orgeron consistently said, “There’s only one quarterback at LSU that’s 2-0.” Still, Orgeron was adamant publicly it was an even competition.
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Throughout the spring and summer, sources close to the program believed it was Johnson’s job to lose and that he was going to get the start at UCLA. As fall camp begins this weekend, we were finally going to get a closer look. Now, the job is expected to be Johnson’s.
What does this mean? There are benefits, especially if you’re a believer Johnson was likely to win the job. It means Johnson can go through the entire month of August getting first-team reps. It means he can put in the extra work with receivers and linemen that can become tricky when both quarterbacks are still in the mix. He can work closely with offensive coordinator Jake Peetz to gain greater command of the offense and build it in his likeness. Those aspects will help set Johnson up to succeed in 2021 with a talented roster around him.
But, of course, this is ultimately bad news. It’s awful news for Brennan, and it also means for a second-straight season LSU is down to two scholarship quarterbacks with the backup being a true freshman. With TJ Finley having transferred to Auburn following spring practice, freshman Garrett Nussmeier is now the No. 2 QB on LSU’s roster.
Most around the LSU program would tell you it’s still a far better situation than 2020, when Brennan’s injury meant Johnson and Finley were the only two quarterbacks. That put LSU in the hands of two young players who, quite frankly, weren’t as highly touted or expected to see the field for a year or two. Nussmeier was a top-100 quarterback who is still very raw but wowed the staff all spring as an early enrollee. His spring game included some highlight-reel throws mixed with some freshman interceptions. Point being, Nussmeier is a talent LSU thinks will star for them eventually. There’s at least some comfort in him being the next up behind Johnson.
But everything that happens this fall will be about Johnson. He’s a smart, high-processing sophomore with mobility. He doesn’t have the strong arm of Brennan, but he is accurate. One rival SEC assistant told The Athletic this summer they thought Johnson was the better option and that they’d pursue Johnson if he became available. From the day he stepped on campus, sources said “He’s going to be a stud” due to his presence and command.
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Doing it on the job, as the face of one of the biggest programs in the nation with major pressure on your shoulders? That’s a different challenge. Teams will now game plan just for him and try to take advantage of every weakness, and with each loss, he’ll be the person answering for it.
There’s something to the notion knowing it’s Johnson’s job frees things up for Peetz and his scheme. Johnson provides a mobility Brennan didn’t quite match. Maybe they can incorporate that more often if they hadn’t planned on doing so already.
And we wrote last week, one of the best things Johnson has going for him in this challenge is his mind. LSU does extensive testing on processing ability. Johnson tested off the charts. That’s what former offensive assistant Joe Brady always looked for. It’s what Peetz does, too.
He’s also been tested on the field. As a junior at Oconee County High in Georgia, Johnson’s top seven receivers all went down with injuries.
“It was nuts,” Brad said. “The best water boys you’ve ever seen were starters, and they’re all carrying water on the side. People will never understand that.”
Brad maintains that the experience taught Johnson lessons on adapting and working through struggles. The next fall, he took Oconee County to an unprecedented state title game appearance. Then, as a teenage freshman, he won two games with a battered LSU offense. Those are the traits that Orgeron loves.
LSU didn’t want this to be the situation. Everybody in that program is heartbroken for Brennan, who chose not to transfer when most would have and waited his turn. But all LSU can do is move forward.
And forward is now with Max Johnson.
(Top photo of Myles Brennan: Mitchell Scaglione / LSU Athletics)
