Another Football Player enters portal
- Thread starter HappyNUyear
- Start date
I don't think he ever was capable of fully living up to his potential but we never put him in the best position to succeed with our poor OCs, garbage OL play, and Fitz's rigid 1960s offensive philosophy.
Good luck to him. I hope he tears it up
Did not realize he had eligibility. He and his brother Ben have been playing a long time.
what we already know - that we can't protect a QB. He happens to be one that seemingly wilts under pressure.
He stuck it out for 4 years. I'm not happy with his play, but proud of him for sticking around. He may be better off in FCS, not sure.
It would tell us that the football program isn't in a good state of affairs.
McCall isn't to blame. He had two post McCall seasons where he couldn't cut the mustard. He was a baller vs MSU and gave us false hope, only to go back to 2019 form. The kid needed to stay put and get his degree at a first rate university. He doesn't have it for an NFL career.
Every college athlete received an extra year of eligibility in 2020. In addition, he’s a Grad Student which means he’s automatically eligible and redshirted his first year at NU.
2017 played as #2 QB at Clemson
2018 transferred to NU and Redshirted
2019 played as #1 QB, then backup
*2020 Backup QB
2021 Starting QB and Co-Captain, then backup
2022 Back to Clemson where Hunter was the #2 behind then #1 QB Kelly Bryant in 2017. Trevor Lawrence would enroll at Clemson in February 2018 and Hunter would transfer to NU. Bryant would be replaced by Lawrence a few games into 2018 season and transfer to Mizzou
*All college athletes awarded automatic extra year of eligibility due to covid if they wish to use it.
2017 played as #2 QB at Clemson
2018 transferred to NU and Redshirted
2019 played as #1 QB, then backup
*2020 Backup QB
2021 Starting QB and Co-Captain, then backup
2022 Back to Clemson where Hunter was the #2 behind then #1 QB Kelly Bryant in 2017. Trevor Lawrence would enroll at Clemson in February 2018 and Hunter would transfer to NU. Bryant would be replaced by Lawrence a few games into 2018 season and transfer to Mizzou
*All college athletes awarded automatic extra year of eligibility due to covid if they wish to use it.
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It doesn’t matter how good an OL or WR you have when you can’t hit the broadside of a barn from 15 yards. The guy is incredibly inaccurate and can’t see the field. If he wants to start somewhere, may have to be at a DIII school. Nice guy but can’t play.
He most likely won't though(ball out). HJ's failure can't be pinned on McCall as he didn't do anything under Bajakian either with the exception of MSU. Are you ready to give McCall credit for Clayton or for the best 4 season run in NU history? After all he is the winningest QB in BIG history.
Dude has a lot of faults, but he threw a good ball. He just couldn't handle pressure. I bought into the fool's gold of his MSU performance, then, we later found out that MSU had the worst pass defense in the country. Don't take my word for it, others can opine, but the guy can pass.
Umm the comment I was replying to was a hypothetical. Are we not allowed to respond to hypotheticals now if they’re not realistic?
You're seeing something different from me. When he had time, he was as accurate as any QB we've ever had. MSU being the example when they laid back after a sizeable lead. Completed something like 13 passes in a row on a TD drive. Just what he looked like in garbage time at Clemson. Looked like he was up to his 5 star billing. Dude was a basket case under pressure though.
He had the best QB play of the year this past year. Arguably some of the worst (some of the Marty time could compete). Not sure why we didn't try him again later in the year when the others weren't doing much better.
Maybe he'll tear it up somewhere where he has decent protection. Pressure does things to some and arguably most QBs. Some more than others. Look at Trevor Lawrence in the league. Doesn't look like Trevor Lawrence at Clemson. Others thrive. See Dan Persa before his injury. Still the best QB play we've had at NU, maybe ever or at least since Senior Basanez.
Maybe we should use this to our advantage in recruiting and tell QBs we provide the best place to prepare for an NFL career. Because you're going to see the same pressure at NU and the same separation from your receivers at the next level. /s
No winners here, unless he does in fact go somewhere and tears it up, in which case we look even more the fool.
But...whether he wins or loses elsewhere, the question of "what about Hunter Johnson?" will haunt our transfer portal recruiting for a while for anyone looking for something to do beyond their grad transfer year.
But...whether he wins or loses elsewhere, the question of "what about Hunter Johnson?" will haunt our transfer portal recruiting for a while for anyone looking for something to do beyond their grad transfer year.
"Maybe we should use this to our advantage in recruiting and tell QBs we provide the best place to prepare for an NFL career. Because you're going to see the same pressure at NU and the same separation from your receivers at the next level. /s"
This is some great sarcasm. We could also tell them that it would prepare them for a career after the NFL, such as UFC fighter, ER doctor, Navy Seal, or Baltimore cop
I've learned from men's hoops to have low expectations for Northwestern 5-star transfers after the first Michael Thompson and Bernard Cote. I think the only one who panned out was Walker Lambiotte.
I largely agree with this theory about HJ, so it's incumbent upon Hilinski and the coaches to change this emerging narrative.
Say what you want. Johnson needs to move on from football.
Maybe he likes to play. Why not to give it another shot? He has his degree. He can sock away some graduate hours, too.
Totally agree. Let's say Jag88 is correct (probably) and he never gets a sniff of the NFL, XFL, CFL, whatever. That' means he will never play football again, a game that he must certainly love. Keep in mind that he's been in CFB for 5 years and has 210 pass attempts, the equivalent of like half a season. Heck, go to one of the Ivies for grad school and play there (or my D3 grad school, Carnegie Mellon). Might be fun.
and I bet you never watched game film while he was #2 QB at Clemson and played in 7-games with 1 INT and actually played well in Clean Up. When a team actually has good WR/TE/OL good things usually happen
Sheesh. Judgmental much?
Chris Malleo would have died to get on the field at QB and "fail" as much as Hunter did.... instead he changed positions three times, and never sniffed the field at his dream position at NU.
Didn't play QB at all in D1. Failed. I guess he needed to move on from football too.... oh wait, he didn't listen to people like you. So after graduating from NU, and off to the Real World, Malleo went back to pursuing his dream of playing QB. The guy just kept chipping away, and working his ass off, and all he did was ended up playing about four years of pro football in the CFL and Arena Leagues, putting up some pretty big numbers along the way. 2011: 32 passing TDs, 14 rushing TDs, League rookie of the year, led his team to Division title, won a playoff game.... yeah, he should have moved on from football.
Dude, I'm not really a Hunter Johnson fan. Definitely a big disappointment to me at NU. That said, he clearly has enough natural skill to keep playing this game somewhere.... IF HE WANTS TO. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he somehow solves his fears and gets to play a real role at Clemson. I'll be rooting for him. Go For It, Kid. Pursue your dream. Or just have fun a little longer. Before you know it, your playing days will be a distant memory. Can I get an amen, CatManTrue and others?
Oh, one other little thing, by the way. Chris Malleo wanted to leave NU after 2005 to go somewhere and play QB. He knew then it wouldn't happen at NU. He almost left. He sat down with Coach Walk and told him he wanted to transfer. But he stayed. Why? Because a number of other guys in his recruiting class earlier wanted to leave. Chris talked them out of it. When he wanted to leave, some of those same players told him, Whoa - Wait a Minute, Dawg. And he stayed, stuck it out, switched positions two more times, and played a meaningful role as a 3rd down LB as a senior. Graduated. THEN kept pursuing his QB dream... and eventually got there.
That's called character. That's all it takes.
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I was hoping @Jaguar 88 would give me some life advice too.
Play on, Hunter! It’s a free country.
I read that Dabo rarely accepts transfers so he must see something.
It's good that Chris stayed flexible, or malleoble if you prefer. Never too late to make a pun.
I do think Fitz is a better coach, but I miss coach Walk.
Speaking of coaches, yes, none of us think Hunter will suddenly start at Clemson, but I think it's safe to say that Dabo and co are a little higher caliber than our laugh-a-minute staff.
I am free anytime Catman!!! Hunter will only go as far as the Tiger offensive line will take him, but seeing he was third on their depth chart the first go around, not sure that bodes well for him. The guy can't take any heat.
Yeesh, thanks for taking me down a Chris Malleo rabbit hole.
We should clarify that he was *second* in Indoor (not Arena) Football League Rookie of the Year voting, leading the Reading Express.
Steelhawks Sign Top Quarterback and Host “Salute to Heroes” Night - Lehigh University Athletics
Steelhawks Sign Top Quarterback and Host "Salute to Heroes" Night
lehighsports.com
I can’t quite figure out what the Phoenix Outlaws are, but he did in fact play thread seasons there, 2008-10. It appears they’re in an Arizona-specific outdoor football league. In 2021, the athlete participation fee was $500 —$250 prior to tryouts and $250 over the next three months.
Phoenix Outlaws Football since 1999©
www.outlawsnews.com
He is third on their all-time passing yards list, since 1999.
Phoenix Outlaws Football since 1999©
www.outlawsnews.com
It appears he got a tryout but not a contract with the Toronto Argonauts:
Argos cast net wide in search for quarterbacks
CFL cellar-dwellers dip into semi-pro football for potential pivot
It does look like he proclaimed himself one of the most versatile players in. Northwestern history (this was before Jason Whittaker and Evan Watkins) while promoting his QB coaching business.
Check Out The QB Fraternity, by Chris Malleo
Quarterback tips, techniques and private coach directory for athletes and coaches.
And in 2014, he was still tight with Mike Kafka and was shouting out Garrick McGee in the press. Malleo training was “kinesiology, psychology, and sometimes a little dodgeball.”
The Quarterback Fraternity teaches the finer points of QB play
Chris Malleo, 29, recently launched his quarterback-coaching company — The Quarterback Fraternity -- with the goal of teaching the finer points of quarterback play through traditional and non-traditional methods.
He was a fine head coach at The Peddie School, which annually plays Blair Academy in the oldest high school football rivalry in New Jersey.
It’s an inspirational story.
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