Analysis: Johnson's Return Is Only Good For Dukes

The Dukes know who their starting quarterback is and that is only advantageous to their program as they prepare for the next campaign, which begins quickly in September when they open against Morehead State.

After JMU’s spring slate ended with a loss in the national semifinals at Sam Houston earlier this month, Dukes coach Curt Cignetti said he hoped Johnson would stay and play out the extra year of eligibility the NCAA afforded all athletes because of the pandemic. The choice Johnson came to Tuesday means he’ll play as a sixth-year senior this fall, and Cignetti won’t have to hold a competition for the No. 1 quarterback job.

There’s no need to scour the transfer portal, either, for a veteran to potentially compete at the position, which might’ve had to happen if Johnson opted to move on from football. Freshman Kyle Adams and incoming freshman Billy Atkins would’ve been the only scholarship quarterbacks on the Dukes’ roster. Former JMU backup Gage Moloney decided to transfer from the school last week.

So, Johnson can begin attempting to pick up where he left off and JMU can start thinking about how to build on what it accomplished in his first season as the team’s starting quarterback.

This spring, he led the FCS in passing efficiency and yards per pass attempt. His completion rate of 66 percent was seventh in the country and he tallied 1,633 passing yards to go along with 11 touchdowns through the air.

He did that all while working with a group of wide receivers, who were primarily new to the program. Scott Bracey transferred to JMU from Duke. Freshman Antwane Wells Jr., who Johnson connected with four times for touchdowns during the playoffs, was in his first college football season following his days starring at Highland Springs High School and Fork Union Military Academy. VMI transfer Kris Thornton, on the heels of sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules, was eligible for the first time as a member of the Dukes.

Those three were JMU’s top three leading receivers this past season, and now they can continue collaborating with Johnson throughout the summer and into training camp toward that desired chemistry every experienced quarterback and his group of returning receivers like to talk about when they know they have it.

Additionally, Cignetti has always played a role in helping his quarterback improve from their first season as a starter to the next and would have the chance to do the same with Johnson.

Cignetti inherited former Dukes quarterback Ben DiNucci, an eventual 2020 seventh-round NFL Draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys, and aided his progression. Under Cignetti, DiNucci improved his completion rate, lessened his interceptions, threw for more yards and was responsible for more total touchdowns than he was in the previous season.

In his prior coaching stops at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Elon, Cignetti’s quarterbacks got better in their second seasons, too. Before Davis Cheek’s injury in 2018, he led the Phoenix to an upset win over JMU and his completion percentage was up from the last fall. At IUP, quarterback Lenny Williams Jr. saw his completion percentage rise from 58 percent in 2015 to 68 percent in 2016. Like DiNucci, Williams Jr. threw for more yards, less interceptions and scored more total touchdowns.

Recently promoted offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan has been on Cignetti’s staff as a wide receivers coach since 2016, and is ready to take on more responsibility, according to Cignetti. Having worked for Cignetti that long and having witnessed Johnson’s development this spring, Shanahan should know how to best put the quarterback in position to succeed.

Johnson threw for seven touchdowns and rushed for another in the postseason.

“I liked the direction the offense took the last five weeks of the season,” Cignetti said.

Newly hired quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri can provide a fresh set of eyes on Johnson, too. Sunseri comes off a stint as an offensive analyst at Alabama, where he worked closely with former Crimson Tide standout quarterbacks Tua Tagaviola and Mac Jones.

Tagaviola and Jones helped Alabama win College Football Playoff championships, and Johnson nearly led JMU back to the FCS title game this year. But, a second-half rally from eventual spring champ Sam Houston derailed that chance and delayed Johnson’s hopes of winning an FCS crown until the fall, which is why he is coming back.

“Came too far to go out like that,” Johnson tweeted Tuesday.

And with those factors of his experience, a blossoming crew of receivers to throw to and a staff with a proven track record when it comes to quarterbacks, Johnson could have that championship opportunity again.