LSU Football: The Tigers’ QB competition just got very interesting
By Zach Ragan
A month ago, I was absolutely certain that redshirt senior Myles Brennan would be LSU football‘s starting quarterback in 2021.
But now that spring practice is underway, I’m not so sure.
The Tigers’ first practice was held on Tuesday. After the practice, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron met with reporters.
And he made some comments that have made me reevaluate my stance on the Tigers’ quarterback competition.
A legitimate quarterback battle for LSU football?
It wasn’t Brennan who received the first-team snaps at quarterback for LSU on Tuesday.
Instead, it was sophomore quarterback Max Johnson, who started the final two games of the 2020 season for the Tigers.
“There’s one quarterback that’s 2-0 on this campus,” said Orgeron on Tuesday in reference to Johnson.
While Johnson getting first-team snaps on Tuesday doesn’t mean he’ll be the starting quarterback in Baton Rouge in 2021, it definitely makes this a much more interesting battle.
After the 2020 season, I felt confident that Brennan would be LSU’s starting quarterback this upcoming season based on how he played the first three games of the season.
LSU went 1-2 in Brennan’s three starts, but the veteran quarterback put up some impressive numbers in that three-game stretch (the two losses were more on the defense than the offense).
Brennan missed the rest of the 2020 season after suffering an abdomen injury in the Missouri game. The Tigers then turned to TJ Finley and Johnson to guide the offense.
It was Johnson who impressed the most, helping LSU finish with a 5-5 record after leading the TIgers’ to wins against Florida and Ole Miss to close the season.
Despite Johnson’s strong play, I felt like it was a given that Coach O would turn to the quarterback with the most experience on the roster (Brennan). And that could still be the case. But at this point, I don’t think Brennan’s experience is giving him an edge in this battle.
Orgeron is going to go with the quarterback best equipped to lead LSU to a win every Saturday.
And for now, it’s anyone’s job.
“There’s no favorite here,” said Orgeron on Tuesday.
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This should be a fun battle to watch this spring. At the very least, the intense competition will make all of the quarterbacks on the roster better.