Hunter Johnson to transfer
- Thread starter freewillie07
- Start date
Well, he is from Indiana. That could make things difficult. But I have a hard time seeing him beat out Sindelar with him having two years of starter experience
That's cute but I am exciting about this news. Kustok 2.0 - let's get him signed!!!
He is better than Sindelar now and will be when he is eligible. Kid is a stud! If we land him, he would be our highest rated prospect ever.
He may have more tools but two years as a starter gives an edge. They often say open competition but generally it is not. NU can offer a clean shot. Purdue, not so clean.
Sindelar is also a pretty "toolsy" guy himself. Has had trouble staying healthy and throwing with consistent accuracy, but he's definitely got the arm and athleticism.
Not trying to dis Sindelar, just thought Hunter was a complete Star in HS and Dabo is saying he has come a long way. Having a hard time envisioning him sitting at Purdue short of an injury.
Johnson is clearly a high-level QB prospect, but I wouldn't put too much stock into Dabo's public statements. Always seemed to me like he was trying to do everything possible to prevent Johnson from transferring.
Whether or not you think Johnson would beat out Sindelar, the situation is different from NU in that we wouldn't have any kind of established QB. He would be able to come in, redshirt for 2018, then look to win a vacated job if he came to NU.
This. NU’s depth chart is clear-cut and Johnson would be the unquestioned starter in 2019. I have to think this is appealing after the Clemson situation. (Note that this is very different from when he was a high school recruit: he would have been directly competing for two years with an established starter in Thorson.)
Maybe (probably) he would have beaten out Thorson, and maybe he would beat out Sindelar. But the fact that NU has a very clear spot with his name on it, all else equal, is an advantage. Among several others.
For those who are interested, here is the chatter on Johnson on the Purdue Boards:
https://purdue.forums.rivals.com/threads/hunter-johnson.146225/
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2018/5/21/17376590/purdue-football-hunter-johnson-clemson-transfer
Also another article:
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/5/21/17375756/hunter-johnson-transfer-rumors-clemson
https://purdue.forums.rivals.com/threads/hunter-johnson.146225/
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2018/5/21/17376590/purdue-football-hunter-johnson-clemson-transfer
Also another article:
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/5/21/17375756/hunter-johnson-transfer-rumors-clemson
I agree with this. Johnson realizes he only has one mulligan. He needs to pick a school where he has certainty of playing as soon as he is eligible. Obviously he'll want to play in a high level conference, he'll also look for a coaching staff that he is familiar with and can trust as factors related to the certainty of playing time issue, he'll look for coaching staff stability, he'll look for a system that fits him with coaches that can develop him as a player, and lastly he'll likely look for a school that is closer to home. For all those reasons I dismiss some of the speculation about new coaches like Morris at Arkansas and Sumlin at Arizona getting in the mix. His unfamiliarity with those coaches/schools and the uncertainty of what the depth chart will look like when he is ready to play will make choosing those schools too big of a risk for Johnson. I really do think it will come down to NU or Purdue and I give NU the edge for a variety of reasons but most of all because of the certainty of playing time that he has at NU vs. Purdue.
I believe Indiana might be a player too - I think their current offensive coordinator recruited Johnson to Tennessee when he was there.
One of the two schools immediately mentioned as possibilities? Really going out on a limb there.
Indiana's offense was anemic last year after Kevin Wilson left, not to mention their overall anemic won/loss record. I doubt they'll get a look.
Purdue is a legitimate option given the trajectory of the program and Brohm's reputation as a passing guru. I really do think it likely comes down to NU or Purdue.
Agree.
Brohm, however, does not offer stability. Another good season and top programs will be trying to poach him (even more than they have already). Who’s to say he won’t leave?
Let’s also not forget that NU is a team that finished in the Top 25 last year and has one QB who started in the NFL last year and another projected to go quite high in 2019 if healthy. The Cats are coming at this from a position of strength relative to Purdue, by most measures.
Good luck in the HJ sweepstakes. No one at CU has anything but praise for this kid . IMHO he could start at most D-1 programs now but better than that he is a a smart, humble and very high character student athlete.
The NU situation would seem very attractive for someone like Hunter S. Johnson.
Didn't see this posted yet.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...recruiting-hunter-johnson-20180521-story.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...recruiting-hunter-johnson-20180521-story.html
Weird article. Doesn’t really say much of anything, though I guess it is semi-explicit confirmation of reciprocal interest.
I sat next to the Johnson family at the Outback bowl. Great family. Hunter had already de-committed from Tennessee at the time and was committed to Clemson. His dad thought he could really help NU at the time, but basically said at that time NU was a not a factor in his recruitment. Would love to see Hunter come to NU. Great quarterback, great kid, great family, NU ties. Three year window. Solid recruiting to back him up. Let's hope the stars align! I like the Kustok comparison...recruit who chose another school, and then ends up at NU...could lead to great things!
I would guess that he was looking for a place where there was no incumbent QB going into the 2017 season. Watson was leaving Clemson, or at least expected to, while Thorson had two more years at NU. Now, with the possibility of Johnson playing in 2017 or 2018 out the window, NU makes a whole lot more sense.
When the intent to transfer is announced, what are the rules regarding player contact? It seems funny that Fitz is reported to have gone gone to the parents, versus contacting the player directly.
The school from which the player is transferring must provide written confirmation of that player's release, which typically comes from the Compliance Department. It's a very short letter, but must be in place before other schools can officially contact the transferring player. From there, the "normal" recruiting rules essentially apply (i.e. official visits, contacts, etc.).
So I'm excited about this like everyone else, but is NU really the frontrunner? I understand the reasons (family connection, no stud QB to beat out) why we're a contender, but if this guy is so good, why isn't EVERYONE going after him? *IS* everyone going after him?
Yes. Have reason to believe that priorities have changed for him and his family since he was a high school recruit. Prioritizing coaching stability, playing time and proximity to home over “brand.” Thus, NU and Purdue.
Wouldn’t “normally” a high school coach act as a conduit between college program and athlete - seems like this is where it might get tricky with a transfer and parents I guess could make sense.
This is not how I would characterize the situation.
The Johnsons are big fans of the NU program under Fitz. It’s not that NU wasn’t a factor, but that the NU offer was viewed, I’d say, as “always there.” And their focus for Hunter, rightfully, was squarely on the NFL. He would not have been guaranteed to get playing time right away with Thorson’s emergence. And Clemson offered a much better chance at a National Championship, and therefore NFL attention, than NU.
For all those reasons, NU didn’t make sense at the time. But since then, Trevor Siemian has played in over 20 NFL games and thrown 30 TDs in the league. Thorson is projected to be a top draft pick. The NFL path is there, on top of the stability and proximity that I believe the Johnsons covet.
He'll probably at least get feelers from every "QB-needy" program in the country, but the immediate mention of NU and Purdue makes it seem like he already knows what he's looking for this time around.
Because he can’t take a chance that he chooses a program where for whatever reason he doesn’t get on the field. That means that he will naturally prioritize a situation where there is no incumbent starter returning, where the depth chart does not contain highly rated/acclaimed prospects that could present a legitimate challenge to the starter role, and a situation where he has complete trust that the coach that is recruiting him will stick to the promises that are made to him and will stay in the job to honor those promises. The guy believes he has an NFL future but he can’t prove that unless he gets on the field. This time around certainty of playing time will be more important than playing at the highest profile program possible. That is why I think NU and to a lesser extent Purdue make all the sense in the world for this kid. Some higher profile programs will come after him but I doubt he takes the risk this time around.
Yes and no. This is also a different situation where NU has an existing relationship with the family because of his brother playing here.
Well, Northwestern and Purdue were explicitly mentioned as potential destinations immediately after news broke. Guessing that wasn't just made up out of nowhere.
If Purdue does well this year with Sindelar, hard time seeing them making a change as well.
NU won 10 games last year.
Purdue last won 10 games in 1979.
I realize Brohm is novel and new, but NU has a lot of strengths going for it. We shall see.
