College football trick or treat: 10 biggest surprises and flops of 2019

Trick – Hunter Johnson

A former five-star quarterback recruit, Hunter Johnson transferred to Northwestern from Clemson after Trevor Lawrence committed to the Tigers. I, for one, was excited to see a Pat Fitzgerald-coached team take the field with an elite quarterback. It hasn’t exactly worked out that way. Johnson failed to beat out T.J. Green outright in camp, as both quarterbacks took reps in the season-opener against Stanford. Green exited with a foot injury and Hunter Johnson stepped in but played mediocre football.

He didn’t really improve in the games afterward and was injured in the game against Wisconsin. Aidan Smith took over and has started every game since.

Hardcore college football fans have been excited to see Johnson play since he was in high school. He burst onto the national spotlight in the televised Elite 11 camp, and when other quarterbacks were polled on who they would build a program around, Johnson was the clear number one choice. The potential hasn’t translated when he’s had a chance on the field. Hopefully, he can come back next year and pilot the Northwestern Wildcats to a much better 2020.