2019 Season Preview: Quarterbacks

First in a series of Northwestern position-by-position breakdowns going into the 2019 season.

Bob Seger once sang, “Turn the Page.” That’s what Northwestern fans will have to do in 2019, after four great years of service from (arguably) the program’s greatest quarterback of all time.

Clayton Thorson started 53 games for the Wildcats - more than any other quarterback in Big Ten history- and left as the school leader in several categories, including passing yards and passing touchdowns. But the most important stat he can boast is one that head coach Pat Fitzgerald brings up every chance he can: 36 wins. Thorson was at the helm for two 10-win campaigns and three consecutive bowl victories during his career.

While the Thorson era was great, the next one, believe it or not, could be even better.

Thorson was a leader. He came back from an injury that, some were saying, should have shelved him for the season, if, for nothing else, his own career insurance. But he battled through rehab, took the steps that his doctors, coaches and mentors advised him to, and was back on the field for the first snap against Big Ten West rival, Purdue, last August, in an important win for the Big Ten West division champion Wildcats.

He won games. He put the ball where it needed to go 61% of the time and, on 17 of those throws, the ball found the end zone. He turned up the aerial assault when the run game was really lacking. He also found the end zone nine times by way of his feet, a good number of those on quarterback sneaks - and if you’re 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, why wouldn’t you use that to your advantage?

As great as Thorson was as a leader, he did have his execution struggles. He threw 15 INTs, which was second only to Rutgers’ Art Sitkowksi, who had 18. His “worst” performances came against some of their bigger rivals - Iowa and Wisconsin - and his performances against Duke and Rutgers were nothing to write home about, either. In each of those games, his pass efficiency numbers were below 100, but it should be noted that every one of those four teams finished in the top 45 in pass-efficiency defense, so it wasn’t a case of poor play against poor defense.

His overall accuracy also could have been better, as he only hit on three out of every five throws. Sixty-one percent is a relatively low output, considering he averaged just five yards per attempt and six yards per completion, so it wasn’t as though he was throwing a lot of low-percentage throws downfield. Much of it was the crossing patterns and three-step throws between the hashes or over the middle. In these situations, you would expect your quarterback efficiency to be a little higher, especially from a four-year starter.

This isn’t to beat the guy up - like Fitzgerald often said, “he’s won more games than anyone in program history.” And he did go out on a high note, completing 70% against a good Utah defense in a bowl victory swan song. There was certainly more credence than concern.

Even with all the deserved excitement from the past few years - the double-digit win seasons, the new facility and the Big Ten West championship - the biggest buzz this past season seemed to center around a certain transfer that came to campus in August. Hunter Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 208-pound redshirt sophomore, not only gave the loyal hearts a reason to beat louder, but he also turned eyes of the national media to Chicago’s Big Ten Team.

A former five-star recruit from Indiana’s Brownsburg High School, Johnson originally attended Clemson, which, as we know, just won college football’s national championship with true freshman QB Trevor Lawrence. The emergence of Lawrence pushed Johnson to leave Clemson and, wanting to be closer to home and family, Johnson came back to the Midwest and followed the footsteps of his older brother, Cole, who was a preferred walkon linebacker and special teamer for Fitzgerald from 2013-16.

As a former Mr. Football in the state of Indiana, Johnson completed 496-of-964 passes for 6,657 yards, with 69 touchdowns and 36 interceptions in his career. He was ranked as the No. 2 quarterback in the nation by Rivals in the Class of 2017, and the No. 18 player overall. He was an Elite 11 player (a camp that recognizes the top college-bound QBs in the nation) and the MVP of the 2017 Army All-American Game.

In addition to a big-time arm, Johnson brings the athleticism that Wildcat offensive coordinator Mick McCall likes his quarterbacks to have in order to effectively run his spread system. Johnson reportedly runs a sub-4.5 forty and rushed for 727 yards and nine scores on the ground in high school. He received all-state honors in track as a junior and senior and ran on the 4x400 relay team that finished fourth in the state in 2015.

In his short stint at Clemson, Johnson was 21-of-27 (78 percent) passing for 234 yards and two touchdowns against one interception in 76 snaps spanning seven games.

He’s also a film junkie who often prefers to spend his “off” time alone in the war room, doing some visual assessment and analysis to perfect his craft. Johnson spent last fall running the scout team and becoming a good teammate with the guys he’ll be hoping to go into battle with this fall.

Despite the glowing reviews and lofty rankings, one of our concerns is his accuracy and decision-making. Even though his completion percentage at Clemson was outstanding (78%), he did have a 2-1 TD-INT ratio in very limited action. In high school, he completed just 56% of his throws, again with a 2-1 TD-INT ratio. Even during his senior season, when he was one of the top signal callers in the nation, he completed just 52% of his passes with a 2-1 ratio.

Those are not horrible numbers, by any means, but for success in the Big Ten at a school like Northwestern – which must continually out-execute opponents who may have more high-end talent – this area will have to be improved and will certainly be the one of the biggest things to watch.

As he often does with most of the student athletes he brings in, Fitzgerald complimented Johnson more as a man of character than as a competitor. “We are ecstatic to add a player of Hunter's caliber and character to our program,” he said.

Make no mistake, though: Johnson can ball. The question is whether he can handle the enormous expectations.

Let’s face it, the pressure on Johnson to perform at a high level is substantial, and may be unrealistic. Not only because he’s following perhaps the greatest Northwestern QB of all-time, but also because so many have dubbed him the greatest recruit in Wildcat history. He also hasn’t gotten much experience running Northwestern’s offense. He ran the other team’s system as the scout team QB last year, and this spring, he got only one-fifth of the reps as Fitzgerald elected to rotate five quarterbacks through all 15 practices.

Perhaps the most endearing intangible qualities he has are his confidence - he says that he could have beaten out Lawrence had he stayed at Clemson - and his strong faith (similar to how Thorson carried it). He possesses the admirable balance of humility and superstar self-assurance. But games aren’t won by being a nice guy.

Fitzgerald said there’s no definite starter coming out of spring ball, and he may not announce anything on that front until the week of the opener at Stanford on Aug. 31. That’s what he did the last time he had a quarterback battle on his hands, back in 2015, when he named Thorson the starter over Matt Alviti just a week before the opener against, ironically, Stanford.

Competing with Johnson are some QBs with a wealth of experience within the program, if not on the field. The most experienced QB on the roster by far is senior TJ Green, the much addressed son of former Indiana and NFL signal caller Trent Green. TJ Green played the pivotal role of the “I got this” guy when Thorson was limited to a certain number of snaps early in the season, performing up to expectations in appearances against Purdue, Duke and Akron. He completed 56% of his passes for 169 yards and an INT, without any TDs. But let’s keep in mind that he was not asked to do much in the passing game. When he was, though, he played it smart and converted third downs or secured the ball and put his defense in a fortuitous position.

As we have stated before, Green reminds us a lot of former Wildcat great, Steve Schnur, as both have similar size (6-foot-1, 200 pounds), wear the same number and came in as Missouri high school football stars (and both within one game of the state championship). Expect Green to compete and, if he doesn’t win the job, he’ll be prepared to once again be the backup who efficiently runs the offense when called upon. While Green is more of a game manager, that is certainly a plus, as he is the only player besides Johnson in the quarterback room to have thrown a pass at the collegiate level.

Two other guys that may get a longer look this fall are redshirt sophomore Andrew Marty and redshirt first-year Jason Whittaker.

Marty has good size (6-foot-4, 218 pounds) and, though labeled as a pocket passer, his film has shown he can tuck and run and extend a play with his feet. Even when a play breaks down and his feet are called to action, he does a good job of keeping his eyes downfield and makes good decisions with the ball.

A three-year starter at Wyoming (Ohio), he brings good football experience to the table. His mechanics still need some work but are getting better, and he made some nice throws in the limited practice observations we’ve had this spring. It’s also been reported that he’s becoming one of the more vocal leaders on the offense. He’s worked very closely with Thorson in his first two years, learning not only how to effectively run the system, but also what it means to be a visible leader for Chicago’s Big Ten Team.

Then there’s Whittaker, from Rockford, Michigan. At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, Whittaker has a strong, accurate arm and good mobility. He didn’t get much of a chance to show that off at Rockford, which runs a ground-heavy Wing-T offense, and he also suffered a torn labrum his senior year. With his frame and personality, Whittaker has drawn early comparisons to Thorson.

There’s also 6-foot-2, 210 pound redshirt junior Aidan Smith on the depth chart. Smith has good mobility, prolonging plays with his feet, and his experience in the read-option, spread offense in high school makes him a good fit for McCall’s system. Smith was the No. 3 quarterback last season, behind Thorson and Green, but seems to be the forgotten man in this situation.

Whoever earns the job (and, like everyone else on the planet, we’re betting on Johnson) will have a running game and a deep and productive receiver corps on which to rely.

If Johnson takes control and produces to even three-quarters of the expectations people have for him, this will be a productive season.