Jerrod Johnson and I met in 2009. I was working for Fox College Sports and broadcasting Big-12 games each week. He was the starting quarterback at Texas A&M. To make you smirk, that season the Big-12 had two divisions, the North and South. The respective champion of each division was Nebraska and Texas. Missouri and Colorado were in the league and that conference only had 12 teams, how about that!?

And if you forgot, future SEC team Texas won the 2009 Big-12 title 13-12 over future B1G squad Nebraska ahead of Colt McCoy leading the Longhorns to the BCS Championship Game.

I was in my first true year as an analyst calling games and I always talked to each team's signal caller before the contest. Jerrod, or JJ, was thoughtful, competitive and focused. It was crystal clear that he had a love for the game that was different from most players.

Post playing career, JJ explored many arenas: from broadcasting, high school coaching, fashion and more. Yet like most who love what the game of football can do for others, he found himself coming back to the thing that impacted him so much –teaching.

While many things have changed since 2009, what has remained is that everything Jerrod Johnson touches, finds success. Currently, the Houston Texans quarterbacks coach is guiding C.J. Stroud, the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. His impact on C.J. is boundless and endless but it began years ago, on the field at the Elite 11 Finals.

JJ spoke to me during the 2024 Elite 11 Finals, and we shared parts of our conversation with the top 20 high school QBs in the nation. From “What Matters Most” at the position, advice for parents and powerful insight into his quarterback room with the Texans that features Stroud, Stanford’s Davis Mills, and Case Keenum.

Podcast produced by Jim Thornby and edited by Jessica Altman.

This podcast is a Best Coast Media Production.

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