The pandemic delayed his starting debut, but 4-star quarterback Gabarri Johnson is ready to lead Lincoln’s offense
Six months have passed since Gabarri Johnson expected to take the field for the first time as Lincoln High School’s starting quarterback.
The talented sophomore passer, who is considered a four-star recruit by 247Sports.com, and has already collected offers from several FBS schools — including Arizona State, Florida Atlantic, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah and Washington State — was expected to take over the Abes’ high-flying offense in September.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the fall football season, pushing back Johnson’s anticipated debut.
He continued to prepare as he waited, and wondered, like the rest of Lincoln’s program, and others around the state, when or if this season would be played.
Workouts finally resumed last month, and though this season is scheduled to be shorter, and likely without playoffs, that hasn’t dampened enthusiasm.
The Abes are set to host Spanaway Lake in their season opener next week, and Johnson is ready to play.
“We’re all just happy to finally come out here with each other, and see each other again,” he said before a brisk winter practice at Lincoln Bowl this week.
Johnson in particular will look to build on an impressive first season with Lincoln. Though he spent his freshman year backing up third-year starting quarterback Caden Filer — who threw for 3,445 yards and 39 touchdowns as a senior in 2019 — Johnson still found plenty of ways to contribute.
He appeared in 10 games for the Abes, and attempted passes in six, completing 9-of-15 for 127 yards, and threw his first career passing touchdown in a playoff win over Rainier Beach.
He rushed for another 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 12 carries. And, he collected 133 yards and another score on 17 catches, lining up as Lincoln’s fifth receiver in empty sets.
Though he’s projected as a quarterback moving forward, Johnson found value playing in different spots as a freshman.
“It was just learning,” he said. “Still being on the field, still playing as much as I could and doing what was best for the team.”
“It was good for him to get some of that experience, but I also think it was good for him to just be able to sit back and learn how we do things, and how Caden prepares and how he goes about his business,” Lincoln coach Masaki Matsumoto said. “Obviously he did a great job for us in scout (offense) and gave us a great look. I think it was good for him and good for our program.”
Backing up Filer gave Johnson the chance to learn the different tempos, coverages and how to dissect defenses, and working with upperclassmen like Julien Simon, Donovan Clark, Jaylen Clark and Filder made the jump from middle school to high school football more seamless.
“That’s everything I’m going to need this year and for years on,” Johnson said.
Now, he’s ready to showcase what he learned his freshman season, as well as the talent the Abes have seen over the years, as a varsity starter.
Sophomore tackle Tapuloa Tusi first got a glimpse of the player Johnson could become in fifth grade, when the two played against each other in youth football.
Johnson stood out at quarterback, impressed with his athleticism and ability to shake off defenders.
“I was just amazed,” Tusi said.
Early on during Johnson’s freshman season, when he was leading the scout team offense during practice, former Lincoln star Simon — who enrolled early at USC — compared the young quarterback to Lamar Jackson, who has since won the NFL’s MVP award.
“There just came a time in practice where I guess (the upcoming opponent’s) quarterback had run it a lot, so I was running, and throwing in juke moves, all types of stuff, and that’s when Julien compared me to him,” Johnson said.
“And I was like, ‘Hey, I’ll take it. Lamar Jackson — that’s my favorite quarterback in the NFL.’ ”
Johnson, considered the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the country in the 2023 class by 247Sports, is a dynamic athlete who can make big plays with his legs, and his versatility gives the Abes plenty of options in their spread offense.
But his arm is just as big. Johnson wants to be known as a pass-first quarterback, and Matsumoto believes he is.
“He’s a great athlete, and he can run, and he was our fifth receiver and made a lot of plays for us and made a lot of people miss — but he can really throw the ball,” Matsumoto said. “I would say he’s a passer first. But, he just has that God-given ability to be able to run as well.
“He truly is a dual-threat quarterback where he can do both.”
With Johnson behind center and receivers like sophomore Jayden Wayne, considered the state’s top player in the 2023 class, and junior Chance Bogan, a Washington commit, back to lead the offense, the Abes seem well positioned for another impressive, if short, season after blazing through the 3A Pierce County League in 2019.
Lincoln has been known for its prolific offenses in recent years, and Johnson believes the Abes can continue to build on that. What does he hope the offense can be in the seasons to come?
“Just a powerhouse,” he said. “We can do it all — throw, run, whatever it is — with our running backs and receivers. … We have the guys to do anything we want to as an offense.”
The Abes are surely motivated to build on last year’s historic season, too. Lincoln’s 2019 state semifinals finish was the best in program history, and the Abes were on a 10-game winning streak before losing to eventual 3A champion Eastside Catholic.
“It gives us more motivation to finish off what we started,” Tusi said.
The Abes also became the first Tacoma Public Schools program to reach the semifinals since Marcus Trufant led Wilson to the 4A championship game in 1998. A TPS program hasn’t won a state championship since Mount Tahoma won back-to-back undefeated 4A titles in 1979 and 1980. Foss won an undefeated 4A title in 1975.
Lincoln and Stadium are the two schools in the district who haven’t made a championship game.
“It just gives you motivation,” Johnson said of last season’s historic finish. “We’ve been there before. We can do it. We were one game away from the state championship.
“I know this year we’re not doing playoffs, but just in the back of my mind, I know what it feels like to be there, and I know what it felt like to lose that game. I don’t want to lose it again.
“I want to go to the state championship, win it, and bring it back to Tacoma for everyone.”
