Jayce Johnson

Physical Profile

Listed at 6-4, 210 lbs. Taller than 73% and heavier than 73% of 2027 Quarterback prospects in the SEC Scouts database (22 with a listed size).

Play Style

Johnson is a creator. He is at his best when the offense uses his legs through zone-read, QB-power and bootleg concepts, and when he punishes defenses that commit extra defenders to the run by throwing deep or into the intermediate middle. From a clean pocket with his feet under him he throws tight, catchable balls on dig, curl and seam routes. When a play breaks down he extends it, and his first instinct is often to turn it into a run, which produces big plays but also shows that his instincts as a pure passer are still developing. His scouting profile describes him as a polarizing dual-threat: capable of taking over games but uneven from snap to snap.

Strengths

• Arm talent and release: evaluators credit him with a strong arm and quick release. When his feet are set he drives tight, accurate spirals to the intermediate level, which is the core throw of most SEC passing games.
• Rushing production: he has scored as a runner every season (318 yards and 3 TDs as a sophomore, then 658 yards and 14 TDs as a junior). The jump shows he can win games with his legs against top Georgia competition, both on designed runs and scrambles.
• Experience and leadership: he will be a three-year starter in Georgia's highest classification and went 10-2 in his first full season in 2024. Texas A&M's staff specifically pointed to his leadership, and he stayed committed through a coordinator change and an injury.
• Size-plus-athleticism combination: dual-threat quarterbacks rarely come with a 6-3-plus frame. He gives a college staff a pocket passer's profile with a runner's toolkit.

Areas to Improve

• Consistency as a passer: his passing production has not kept pace with his tools. He threw for 1,799 yards and 16 TDs in 2024, then 1,182 yards, 11 TDs and 4 INTs in 2025, and scouts flag his play-to-play consistency as a distributor as the main question. His accuracy drops when his base isn't set, so footwork has to become automatic.
• Reading defenses: Lowndes' offense leaned on his legs. He needs more reps working through progressions, reading post-snap coverage rotations and throwing with anticipation rather than to receivers who are already open.
• Durability and filling out his frame: he came back from an injury early in his senior season and looked shaky at first before settling in (181 yards and 3 TD passes against Harris County). Given how often he runs, adding functional weight and learning when to slide or get out of bounds will matter in the SEC.

College Projection

He projects as a developmental redshirt in year one at Texas A&M, ideally as an early enrollee to get spring practice reps. Offensive coordinator Collin Klein left to become Kansas State's head coach, so Johnson will learn a new staff's system, and his relationship with that staff will shape how fast he develops. The realistic path is QB2 or a package quarterback in years one and two, then competing for the starting job in year two or three if his passing consistency improves. His running ability gives him a floor of meaningful snaps in red-zone and short-yardage packages even before he wins the job.

NFL Outlook

Based on his tools, he has a mid-round draft ceiling, with more if his passing develops. NFL teams value a 6-3-plus quarterback who can threaten defenses with his legs and throw the ball with velocity, but his draft stock will depend almost entirely on whether he becomes a consistent passer who reads defenses well in college. If his footwork and processing mature and he starts two or more SEC seasons, he fits the modern profile of a mobile starter. If his accuracy stays uneven, he projects more as a backup who contributes in certain packages.

Best Fit

The best fit is a spread or RPO system with a strong quarterback-run component: zone-read, QB-power, boots and half-field reads that simplify his progressions early while his running creates numbers advantages. Texas A&M under Mike Elko works well if the new offensive staff keeps quarterback runs central and builds his passing through play-action. A pure pocket-passing, drop-back system that asks him to work through full-field reads right away would expose his current weaknesses and waste his biggest asset.