No, not Jay Jacobs. Gotta' love this guy's attitude and confidence. In today's world of pre-Madonna athletes, I think many guys with his ability and potential to only get better, would have long since hit the road for greener pastures. He seems to know his role right now and realizes he's going to be the man very soon and wants to be ready to hit the ground running....and throwing. Pinched-n-pasted from al to the dot I am a gay twerker that has no balls!!!! I also have no idea how to use the quote function to post stories, so I annoy the piss out of others. I like male genatalia in and around my mouth.
Jeremy Johnson can see into the future.
Well, to be more specific the rising sophomore can see what's on the horizon for Auburn's offense if coach Gus Malzahn hands him the reins as the starting quarterback in 2015 and beyond.
Johnson enters his first spring on campus as Nick Marshall's backup, a role he filled last season during an unexpected run to the BCS National Championship game. He played from time to time and started once in place of the injured Marshall, but he didn't quite see his role expand as the season continued.
What will Auburn's offense -- which ran the ball 71.9 of the time last season -- look like with Johnson at the controls?
"I'll say there will be more passing," the state's Mr. Football in 2012 said in January. "Really just going to balance our offense passing and running -- me throwing and running, handing to the running back and probably even catch a couple passes, too. I'm looking forward to that time and that moment."
Johnson's immediate job will continue to be Marshall's backup when the Tigers open spring practices Tuesday. Still, Johnson must be ready if Marshall goes down with an injury as he did twice in 2013.
Coaches devised a package for Johnson last season, but used it sparingly when it became apparent Marshall was emerging as a dangerous threat in the zone-read option.
Marshall enters the spring as Malzahn's first returning starter at the position in his nine years coaching college football, and the hope for both parties is they can develop him into a polished passer.
It's hard to ignore the promising start to Johnson's career. He was 29-of-41 passing for 422 yards and six touchdowns with only two interceptions, and he picked up two SEC Freshman of the Week honors. He also came in cold off the bench to complete first-down passes against Arkansas and Georgia before being quickly summoned to the sideline.
"To come in off the bench cold and complete, not easy throws, to be honest with you, I think that says a lot about his talent and his future potential," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said in November.
The question is how the Tigers plan to use Johnson's feet. He ran the ball effectively at Montgomery-Carvery High in 2012, when he rushed for 707 yards and seven touchdowns while picking defenses apart with his big arm (Malzahn often compares Johnson to an NFL passer).
"He's got great upside," Carver High coach Billy Gresham said in October "He'll be a guy I wouldn't be surprised if three years from now we're sitting in New York in April getting ready for the NFL Draft because, like I said, he has a big arm, he's very smart, very intelligent individual."
Johnson can run, but he's not the outside runner like Marshall, whose quickness and decisiveness in the zone read led to 1,068 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground last season.
The 6-foot-5 Johnson is described more as a between-the-tackles runner, but he needs to gain more weight to absorb the big hits in the SEC. He arrived on campus weighing 215 pounds and said in January he was actively trying to pack on the pounds. He said he weighed 230 in January, but admitted his weight fluctuates. His goal is to crack 240 or 245 pounds with a 40-yard dash time near 4.5 seconds by the time he competes for the starting job in 2015.
What kind of quarterback is Johnson? Comparisons to Marshall are invalid, and the closest quarterback to emerge out of Malzahn's system may just be Cam Newton because of his size.
"He was an outstanding runner in high school," Malzahn said of Johnson. "He's very fast. Naturally, he's got a big frame, so I don't know exactly where he'll end up but he can put on a little weight and he already has. He's put on some strength. We feel very good about him."
Johnson ran for 47 yards on seven carries -- all against Western Carolina and Florida Atlantic -- as a freshman.
"We know what the future holds for us," Johnson said. "I can run the outside zone but I'm more of a downhill runner that makes things happen."
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