Coach O Builds Up Both QBs, Will Have To Pick One

LSU football coach Ed Orgeron hasn't made a decision between starting Myles Brennan or Max Johnson, but believes in both players and said they are both "championship quarterbacks."

"Obviously the week before UCLA for sure. If I can decide before, I will," he said. " ... We got two outstanding quarterbacks. This is a good problem to have."

Brennan, the understudy to Heisman Trophy QB Joe Burrow for the last two years, started LSU's first three games last season and threw for 1,112 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The seasoned quarterback suffered an abdominal injury that sidelined him the rest of last year, but throughout his time with the program, Brennan has seen action in 17 games, completing 42-of-70 passes for 600 yards and two TDs. ESPN reports that Brennan said he felt 100% healthy again back in March.

Johnson, on the other hand, will enter his second year with the program battling with Brennan in fall camp for the starting job. During his freshman season, the son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson didn't play meaningful snaps until later in the year, appearing in his first game against Auburn on Halloween. In six appearances, Johnson connected on 88-of-150 passes for 1,069 yards, 8 TDs and only one interception while adding 119 rushing yards and a pair of rushing TDs.

When Brennan got injured, Johnson's name was called and the then-freshman QB took over the starting quarterback duties for the Tigers in Week 9 against Florida and rallied LSU to back-to-back wins over the Gators and Ole Miss to close out the season.

Johnson wound up starting LSU's final three games against Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss, leading the Tigers to a 2-1 record while throwing for six touchdowns and one interception.

"Whoever wins is going to do a great job at LSU," Orgeron said Monday, per ESPN. "It's going to be a tremendous battle, and we'll see what happens."

Orgeron is doing his best to tamp down unreasonable expectations, regardless of who wins the starting job.