The 2022 season will mark first season that LSU football's offense becomes a family affair, with quarterback Max Johnson being joined by his brother Jake Johnson at tight end.
But that wasn't always going to be the case, their father and Super Bowl champion Brad Johnson said this week on SportsTalk with Bobby Hebert, Mike Detillier and Kristian Garic.
The younger Johnson brother, described as a 6-foot-5 flex tight end, was "out" on LSU as his college destination until the team hired Jake Peetz as its new offensive coordinator, taking the spot held by Steve Ensminger the past few seasons.
"With Peetz coming there, that made a big impact on him as far as him fitting into that system and wanting to be a Tiger,” Brad Johnson said of his son, a 4-star recruit and the No. 2-rated tight end in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports.
One benefit in Jake's development: He's always had strong quarterback play, even in the backyard. Whether it was Max or Brad himself throwing passes. The last few seasons he's also played with Brock Vandagriff, now a member of the Georgia Bulldogs.
"He loves to play football. Great kid, and excited to be a Tiger," Brad Johnson said. "He was at LSU’s camp a couple weeks ago. He just loves to play, loves to talk, be coached."
Peetz, who served as an assistant with the Carolina Panthers last season, was one of the larger pieces in an offseason coaching overhaul following a disappointing 5-5 season in 2020. Those final two wins, against Florida and Ole Miss, were started by Max Johnson. LSU also hired a new defensive coordinator in Daronte Jones, along with a handful of other coaches and analysts.
Related
But while the 2022 season could feature the Johnson-to-Johnson passing connecting, the question to answer in 2021 specifically targets Max. The sophomore is in an offseason battle with Myles Brennan to decide who opens the season as the starting quarterback.
Brad Johnson says he's been involved with Max's coaching since he was "out of the womb," but took a step back this past season as his son joined the LSU roster. He didn't sit in on a single Zoom meeting during the pandemic-altered season, and his advice after games came more from the dad part of his brain than the 15-year NFL quarterback part.
“Usually after games I just tell him ‘good game’ or whatever it is and be supportive," Johnson said, "and let those coaches coach him.”
━━━━
MORE FROM BRAD JOHNSON
THOUGHTS ON NIL CHANGES
“I can’t get my hands around it. I’m all for people making money, I am. It’s awesome. If you can be an entrepreneur and do your own thing, I think it’s great. The question marks … I don’t think anyone knows, right now, honestly how this thing is going to play out.
Related
…
“And so you got your instagram followers, you got your twitter followers, you got your TikTok followers and how many people, you know, what’s your worth besides just being a player? And I think what I always tell people, be great at your craft. Be a great football player. Be a great basketball player. Be a great baseball player. And then the pro sports, they’ll tell you how good you are. But that’s the old way. Now you’re into making money, and you’re going to go ‘am I making a commercial? Am I standing in front of a restaurant selling burgers and fries? Am I going to send out hits on Instagram?’ I don’t know. I don’t know how coaches keep up with it. I don’t know how players keep up with it. It’s going to be interesting. I probably just need to let the smoke clear and see how it all plays out. And you worry about players, are they going to get jealous with each other?
…
“Hope it works out for everybody. We’ll see.”
━━━━
ON WATCHING MAX'S HUGE PERFORMANCES TO CLOSE THE 2020 SEASON
“One of the greatest things I asked Max [after the win over Ole Miss], they scored 52 points that day and won in the rain. I said ‘did you know [Kayshon Boutte] had that many catches?’ I think he had 15 catches for 300 yards. He said 'no, I didn’t. I had no clue he had that many catches. I was just reading the coverage. So whoever was open, I was throwing them the ball.’ And so a lot of things were designed for Kayshon that day and, I mean, Max, he loves those guys. They work hard together, they’ve grown together as freshmen. And going together this year, so it’s awesome. I know they’ve put in the work for this year, but really I think it’s just that trust and the dependability of where you gonna be, and guys can make plays, and some guys making better plays than others. So it’s going to be a fun year for all those guys.”
Related
━━━━
ON TOM BRADY'S SUPER BOWL WITH BUCS, WHERE BRAD WON IN 2003
“His career is amazing to me. I think for him the first time having to learn a system was pretty wild for him. A totally different approach.
…
“They got hot at the right time. They had a great, great defense.”
…
“And tom’s a guy that just brings unbelievable stability, awareness, attention to detail. And they brought in a bunch of free agents and they came through in the clutch once again. I mean, the guy’s 43 years old, he’s done it. It’s amazing to just watch his career. He’s probably going to do it, you don’t doubt it him this next year, he might be back again.”