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Texas was faced with an interesting question this offseason.

While we’re still more than a year away from National Signing Day in 2019, the debate on which quarterback the Longhorns should make their top target raged on with several arguments made for four-star prospects Roschon Johnson and Grant Tisdale.

Johnson picked up an offer from Texas early in the process, but Tisdale really emerged this offseason and appeared to be moving past Johnson. He was also the quarterback of choice by the Horns247 staff.

But as Texas head coach Tom Herman has shown over and over again, if he evaluates a prospect and loves him early on, he’s going to take him. He did the same thing with guys like Casey Thompson and Malcolm Epps this cycle.

Let’s forget about the whole Tisdale-Johnson debate for the column and simply focus on Johnson.

There is a reason Herman decided to go with Johnson as his quarterback take for 2019. For one, Johnson is a proven player on Friday nights. As a sophomore, Johnson tore it up as he passed for 2,318 yards, rushed for 1,650 yards and scored 56 total touchdowns.

While Johnson doesn’t face top level Texas high school football programs in the Golden Triangle, the region does have some talent, and he is head and should better than the competition.

This season will give me a first look at Johnson in game action. He was a little underwhelming in camp settings this spring, but when you put on his tape, you can see the ability and potential.

Johnson is an electric playmaker with the ball in his hands as evidenced by his rushing yardage last season. He has great speed, elusiveness in the open field and is tough to bring down. Johnson is certainly a fit for Herman’s offense in that regard.

But the biggest thing I’ll be looking for when I make the trek southeast is Johnson’s improvement as a passer. As many sources have told us, Johnson has a ‘live’ arm and can throw the deep ball, but he still has some work to do from a mechanical standpoint.

Johnson needs to use his legs when throwing the ball and improve his motion. Johnson has the arm strength and mobility to be effective on the Forty Acres, but he is still raw as a passer and will need to put it all together over the next few years.

That starts this season as Johnson will naturally be compared to Tisdale now that he will take center stage at Allen. This is an opportunity for Johnson to put an end to the debate.

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