Former Laguna Beach quarterback Andrew Johnson gets shot to play Division 1 football with Morehead State

Andrew Johnson, a recent graduate and former quarterback of Laguna Beach High School, never seems short on things to say.

When it comes to the recruiting process, Johnson continually used the word ‘weird’ to characterize his most unusual path to earning an opportunity to compete at the next level.

Nearly six months removed from his high school graduation, Johnson signed a commitment letter to join the football program at Morehead State.

The chance to play Division 1 football for the Kentucky-based FCS school, which competes in the Pioneer League, came along even though Johnson had not taken a single snap after high school.

“It was everything that I wanted, and I was definitely surprised,” Johnson said. “I told the coach that when I first talked to him.”

Without a college commitment in tow at the time of his graduation, Johnson was set to attend a post-graduate school called Bridgton Academy in Maine.

As a senior, Andrew Johnson threw for a school-record seven touchdowns in one game against then defending Division 11 champion Western in a 56-49 overtime loss on Oct. 25, 2019.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Doing so would have allowed Johnson to gain experience against college-level competition without sacrificing a year of eligibility, but the coronavirus pandemic persisted through the summer. Johnson and his family made the decision that it would be better for him to stay home and take a gap year.

He remained active during that time, working out with private quarterbacks coach Steve Calhoun, whom he had been introduced to by Mission Viejo head football coach Chad Johnson, who headed the South roster in the Orange County North vs. South All-Star Classic.

Johnson recollected being told that recruiting slowed down precipitously after his junior year and after the completion of his senior season, it would likely take competing at a junior college to have recruiting pick back up again.

On the verge of beginning practice with the Orange Coast College football program, the unexpected opportunity presented itself.

“I kind of started to think, ‘Well, I’ve got to start from square one and I’ve got to fight my way through a ranking system and earn a spot to play at a junior college,’” Johnson said. “I got a call out of nowhere, and it almost felt like divine intervention.”

Johnson appreciated the fact that Morehead State was willing to take a chance on him. He had heard it all during the recruiting process as he held out hope for a Division 1 offer.

There were questions raised about his experience as a football player and his size and strength to handle the position.

The primary sport for Johnson growing up had been tennis, which he continued to play at Laguna Beach. He helped the boys’ tennis team win the CIF Southern Section Division 4 title against Redlands East Valley as a sophomore.

His freshman year was the first time he had played football. He worked his way up the ladder and burst onto the scene as the starting quarterback for the varsity team his junior year, leading the Breakers to the Division 12 semifinals.

As a senior, Johnson threw for a school-record seven touchdowns in one game against then defending Division 11 champion Western in a 56-49 overtime loss on Oct. 25, 2019.

“I’m just thrilled for him,” Laguna Beach quarterbacks coach John Selbe said of Johnson’s commitment.

“He’s a quality kid. He’s a hard-working athlete, and he’s a leader. He’s a great competitor. I just think that people that didn’t look at him closer, I think he’s going to show a lot of people that they may have made a mistake because I think he’s that talented. He’s got a great arm, and I think the sky’s the limit for him.”

Among Morehead State’s current group of quarterbacks is former Whittier Christian standout Quinn Commans, whose nine passing touchdowns against Bell in 2017 are tied with two others for the Southern Section record for the most in a single game.

Laguna Beach quarterback Andrew Johnson completes a pass in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 12 playoffs against Northwood at Irvine High on Nov. 9, 2018.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Addressing the conversations with coaches who told him he was undersized for the quarterback position, Johnson has been working hard to add muscle. He is now 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds.

“Schools that I had very good communication with and was talking to a lot when I was a junior [included] two or three schools in [the Pioneer League] that said, ‘You’re just not going to be big enough to play at the Division 1 level. You have the height, but you just don’t have the weight, and we don’t see you putting that on.’

“I took that personally, and so when I got the call, it made me excited that I’m going to get the chance to go play against those schools and show them that they were wrong.”

Laguna Beach head football coach John Shanahan would not bet against the progression of Johnson, citing the offense’s big-play capability and the Breakers’ 15-8 record with him as the starter.

“You’re getting a kid that still has a tremendous amount of upside,” Shanahan said of Johnson. “He can make every throw. He’s extremely intelligent. He’s more athletic than people give him credit for when they just take a quick glance at him.”

Johnson holds several Laguna Beach records, including single-season passing touchdowns (42 in 2018) and passing yards (3,246 in 2018).

::

Support our sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.

For more sports stories, visit latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/sports or follow us on Twitter @DailyPilotSport.