We need to give Hunter Johnson a chance before writing him off

There are a lot of folks who have already made up their minds about Hunter Johnson, the Northwestern quarterback who transferred from Clemson. That’s just the nature of the world we live in, as Johnson struggled in a nationally televised game in one of the marquee non-conference contests of opening weekend. First impressions stick.

And there’s no reason to sugar coat it, Johnson was awful in a 17-7 loss to Stanford. He completed only 6 of 17 passes for 55 yards and two interceptions. He had a chance to give the Wildcats a road win over a ranked squad, which is precisely what 5-star recruits are supposed to do. But he couldn’t get it done.

Johnson arrived at Northwestern after losing out to Kelly Bryant at Clemson. It was a crowded quarterback room at Clemson, also featuring fellow 5-star recruit Trevor Lawrence.

How often does a Big Ten team get a 5-star quarterback? Not often. Since 2000, only Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State have gotten a 5-star quarterback to sign out of high school. They are Christian Hackenberg (Penn State in 2013), Braxton Miller (Ohio State in 2011), Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State in 2008), Ryan Mallett (Michigan in 2007), Anthony Morelli (Penn State in 2004), Chad Henne (Michigan in 2004), Justin Zwick (Ohio State in 2002) and Jeff Smoker (Michigan State in 2000). Most of them go to USC or the SEC.

That’s why it was exciting to see what Johnson could do in a program that for years has been behind the rest of the league in terms of resources but has continually scrapped and clawed its way to bowl games, plus the Big Ten title game last season. Combine Pat Fitzgerald’s coaching acumen with a legitimate talent at quarterback, and who knows?

The expectations have changed after Johnson’s debut, but it helps that Pat Fitzgerald is behind him “one hundred million percent.” There are a few reasons to believe Johnson will rebound, starting with Saturday’s game against UNLV and continuing through a stretch in which the Wildcats play five ranked opponents in their next six games.

1. He has one career start

It’s easy to forget, but Johnson was making his first career start.

And with all due respect to Northwestern, Johnson is stepping into a much different situation than say, Lawrence at Clemson or Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama. He’s not throwing to Justyn Ross or Jerry Jeudy. He doesn’t have Travis Etienne or Najee Harris in the backfield to take pressure off him.

His inaccuracy against Stanford was alarming, but let’s not forget Johnson completed 21 of 27 passes in his limited action for Clemson. After one year off, let’s give Johnson the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to rust.

I wrote recently about the dazzling debut of Justin Fields with Ohio State and compared his first start to other 5-star quarterbacks in the last five years. As you might expect, it’s a very mixed bag. Johnson is not alone in his struggles.

2. He no longer has T.J. Green to worry about

Johnson did not convincingly win the job outright in the preseason, as many assumed he would. T.J. Green, a fifth-year senior, pushed Johnson to the brink and earned playing time. Unfortunately, Green is out for the season after getting injured against Stanford. While Johnson benefits from Green’s misfortune, he expressed genuine sadness at a teammate’s season career ending like that.

But make no mistake, this is a positive development for Johnson. Green was very well-respected after grinding his way up the depth chart and finally earning his chance. It’s one thing to be challenged at Clemson, but it’s another thing to go toe-to-toe with someone who wasn’t highly recruited at all.

When Fitzgerald didn’t commit to Johnson playing full-time, that had to be a bit unsettling. As the saying goes, when you have two quarterbacks, you have none. Knowing that he is the guy, he can relax and play his game without worrying about being subbed out.

3. He is very, very talented

It’s hard to believe that Johnson was rated as the No. 2 quarterback in the 2017 class by 247Sports and No. 1 by ESPN, ahead of Tagovailoa – who will likely be taken No. 1 overall in the next NFL Draft – and Jake Fromm, who has started the last two years for Georgia. This is the biggest reason to remain optimistic. Johnson has shown he can do things at a higher level than his peers; he just has to do it in a game, which comes over time.

Do you know how many quarterbacks are rated 5-star recruits each year? In some years, like 2010 and 2014, there is just one. Usually there are 2-4.

And let’s not just chalk it up to Johnson going to high school in Indiana instead of Florida, Texas or California. With camps like Elite 11, Johnson earns his rating there, not with what he did at Brownsburg High School. Johnson flashed that ability as a prep star, like when he was the MVP of the U.S. Army All-American Game.

While players like Lawrence, Tagovailoa and Fromm have obviously passed him up, let’s not forget the promise he showed when competing with them in high school. And now that he has the path to get experience and settle in as the starting quarterback on a Big Ten team, I suspect he’ll reverse that subpar first impression.

Ryan O'Gara

Ryan O'Gara is the lead columnist for Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @RyanOGara.