Northwestern Football: Hunter Johnson makes Wildcats Big Ten West contenders
Northwestern football received big news on Monday afternoon as former Clemson quarterback Hunter Johnson chose Evanston as his new home.
Blockbuster news hit the college football landscape on Monday afternoon as Northwestern picked up the biggest name on the transfer market, five-star quarterback Hunter Johnson.
Pat Fitzgerald won arguably his best recruiting battle yet and has an elite replacement for Clayton Thorson after the 2018 season.
Big college football news: Northwestern announces that Clemson transfer QB Hunter Johnson has committed to play for the Wildcats. Johnson was a former five-star kid, ranked the No. 1 QB in his class
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) June 11, 2018
Johnson began his career with Clemson, playing during his freshman season in 2017 before falling to a potential No. 3 spot on the depth chart this spring, behind five-star 2018 prospect Trevor Lawrence. Johnson decided it was time for him to move on, and he announced his intent to leave the program.
With playing time on his mind, he set his sights to Northwestern. The program would need a starting quarterback after the 2018 season, and Johnson wouldn’t be eligible to play until 2019 anyway, so it worked out perfectly.
Northwestern has been a program on the brink of Big Ten West contention for the past few years under Fitzgerald, but this addition instantly makes them one of 2-3 favorites in 2019. Nebraska, Wisconsin and Iowa will be right there, too, but the Wildcats could have the best quarterback in the division and a top-two or three option in the conference.
It’ll take some time for him to adjust to the new offense and the smaller program feel, but Johnson will fit in nicely with less pressure on his shoulders.
Next: 2019 NFL Mock Draft: Way-too-early complete first round
Don’t sleep on the Wildcats because they’re about to be a force to be reckoned with out of the Big Ten for the next 2-3 years.