Can Jeremy Johnson Be The Next SEC Great?

After sitting behind Nick Marshall for the past two years, junior Jeremy Johnson now has his opportunity to be Auburn’s starting quarterback. 

Johnson isn’t coming in cold, though, having played in seven games in 2014,
including starting the opener against Arkansas due to Marshall’s half-game
suspension.  What did he do in that first
half?  He completed 12 of 16 passes for
243 yards and two touchdowns. 

Now, he has complete reins of one of the most explosive
offenses in college football.

His 6-5, 240-pound size has many comparing him to a
certain Heisman-winning quarterback from five years ago – but he’s not quite Cam Newton quite yet.  With his arm strength to go along with explosive players at wide receiver, he’ll stretch the field better than Marshall could do, even if last year’s starter was efficient down the field.  The trio of
running backs will help take some pressure off and, when needed,
Johnson has the speed to use his legs as well.

So, what could Johnson improve on?  Two major things.

First, one of the big reasons Marshall was so successful
in Malzahn’s offense was his ability to run the read-option as a quick decision maker.  In his time
in real-game situations, Johnson seemed to hold onto the ball for a little long
and hand off when the hole was wide open up the middle for him to run.  Marshall was a special read-option
quarterback, and if Johnson improves on sniffing things out on the running plays, he could be even more deadly than
Marshall running it.

Johnson also has a tendency to focus a bit too much on Duke Williams.  In Auburn’s annual spring game, Johnson threw
the ball to Williams time and again, even when his main man was double-teamed. 
While Williams can definitely go up and grab these catches in
spectacular fashion, spreading the ball to other receivers such as Ricardo
Louis, Melvin Ray and newcomer Myron Burton will improve his consistency and
keep the interceptions down.

After patiently waiting two years for this
opportunity, now Johnson is ready.  A lethal running
game and deep wide receiver corps, along with the addition of defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, have set the expectations high. 
Can Jeremy Johnson take advantage and become a star? 

Auburn fans, what do you say?