ESPN insider: Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson has broken bone in throwing hand

Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson has a broken bone in his throwing hand and will be out for “the foreseeable future,” according to Ian Fitzsimmons of ESPN Radio. Johnson could miss the rest of the season with the broken bone.

With Johnson out, Texas A&M will likely start Haynes King at quarterback this weekend when the Aggies travel to play at Alabama. Freshman Conner Weigman could also become an option as Texas A&M search for answers on offense — he was a five-star recruit in the class of 2022 according to the On3 Consensus rankings.

Johnson hurt his hand late in Texas A&M’s loss at Mississippi State last weekend. He had taken over the starting job from King in recent weeks amid the Aggies offensive malaise, but had only delivered marginally better results.

Now the Aggies will be turning to King or one of their other quarterbacks as they go to Tuscaloosa to face an Alabama team that will want to beat them badly, for any number of reasons.

Head coach Jimbo Fisher said Weigman can play if needed on Saturday

Fisher was asked if Weigman would have a shot at earning the job if Johnson is unavailable. The Texas A&M head coach said there will be competition in the days leading up to the game. But Fisher did have high praise for the freshman, saying he “can” play if called upon.

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“They’ll compete every day,” Fisher said. “The best player is going to play. Conner can play. We could put him in right now. I mean, he would be very comfortable. He’ll have a great week of practice hopefully and be ready to play. He prepares every week just like that.”

To this point, Weigman has been the third-string quarterback and has not gotten any action. He was a spring semester enrollee for Texas A&M — meaning he’s had an extra few months of work in the offense. At the very least, Weigman is not working with anything brand new.

Weigman was a part of the historic recruiting class in College Station. The On3 Consensus had him No. 29 overall and No. 8 in the state of Texas.