Reports: Texas A&M QB Max Johnson could miss rest of season with hand injury

Things aren’t getting any better for Texas A&M’s struggling passing game.

According to multiple reports, Texas A&M QB Max Johnson has a broken bone in his throwing hand and will miss Saturday night’s game against No. 1 Alabama. Johnson could end up missing significant time and potentially the rest of the season because of the injury.

The LSU transfer was injured in the Aggies’ loss to Mississippi State on Saturday. The loss dropped A&M to 3-2 on the season ahead of the prime-time showdown with the Crimson Tide.

Johnson’s absence means that Haynes King will likely get the start at QB for the Aggies. Johnson replaced King as A&M’s starting QB after the Aggies lost to Appalachian State in Week 2. King came into the game against Mississippi State after Johnson’s injury.

Johnson was 19 of 26 for 203 yards and a TD before he was injured while King was 6 of 13 for 49 yards and threw two interceptions. King has struggled mightily in 2022; he’s 39-of-64 passing for 510 yards and three TDs and four interceptions over three games. Those three TD passes all came against FCS opponent Sam Houston State in Week 1.

King is actually averaging more yards per attempt than Johnson is this season but Johnson has thrown for three touchdowns and no interceptions. Johnson and King have combined to throw for 1,027 yards and complete under 61% of their passes through the first five games of the season. The Aggies are 101st among 131 teams at the top level of college football in passing yards per game.

Johnson’s absence means A&M could be without its No. 1 QB and its No. 1 wide receiver for the rest of the season. Ainias Smith suffered a season-ending right leg injury in the team’s win over Arkansas.

Texas A&M enters the game against Alabama as 24.5-point underdogs and at +1200 to win straight up. The Aggies beat Alabama in College Station in 2021. That was the first game a Nick Saban Alabama team had lost to a team coached by a former assistant of Saban’s.