‘He’s on a mission.’ Lincoln QB Gabarri Johnson is ready for his biggest season yet
Stephon Pugh has a front-row seat of Lincoln High School senior quarterback Gabarri Johnson during practice. Pugh, a senior safety, goes up against Johnson and the offense sometimes.
“He plays the scout team and he can just pick up anything. He just destroys us, to be honest, sometimes,” Pugh said, laughing.
Opposing defenders donning uniforms of various colors will likely be saying the same thing this fall. Johnson, considered a four-star recruit by 247sports.com, is the top-ranked quarterback from Washington in the 2023 class. He’s ranked as a top-20 quarterback nationally and is widely considered the best quarterback in the state this fall.
Johnson, of course, hears these things. He’s a teenager with social media. He tries not to let it go to his head, though.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Johnson, who recently committed to Missouri. “I feel like a lot of kids want all that attention in the first place. For me, I really don’t. I just play my game as best as I can. That comes from me doing extra film with our coaches, taking everything in the classroom seriously as far as learning what the whole line is doing, learning defenses, learning coverages. Just knowing every position on the field, so as quarterback, I know any check I need to make, what my receivers need to do.”
The natural talent has always been there, but Johnson has put in the time this offseason: in the weight room, in film study.
“I just really became a student of the game more this year, so I feel like that’s what helped me to be (considered) the top quarterback in the state,” he said.
The dual-threat lefty, equally dangerous as both a passer and a runner, was a first-team selection to the TNT’s All-Area team last fall, when he led the Abes to the 3A Pierce County League title. The MVP of the 3A PCL threw for 2,222 yards and 28 touchdowns to just two interceptions. He also rushed for 737 yards and 15 touchdowns, posting highlight-reel plays all season and making defenders miss with ease.
There are high expectations for Johnson this fall, coming from himself, his coaching staff, media and fans. He tries not to dwell on it.
“I just play, to be honest,” he said. “Regardless if you do good or bad, I’ve just learned that people are going to have an opinion on you. It really doesn’t matter. I’m only competing against myself, just worried about me and my team and going as far as we can.”
The 6-foot-2 signal caller looks bigger and stronger than he’s ever been. He didn’t miss a single offseason workout, said Lincoln coach Masaki Matsumoto. That’s leading by example — the Lincoln staff hoped Johnson would grow into that role as an upperclassman. By all accounts, he has.
“He’s been working his butt off in the offseason,” Matsumoto said. “He didn’t miss any summer workouts. Once basketball was over, he didn’t miss any of the morning workouts at 6 a.m. He’s on a mission, he really is. Stats wise, it’s going to be hard to beat last year. So we’re not expecting him to beat it or double it or anything like that. We are expecting a lot from him.
“I think the last couple years, that’s where he could do a little bit better, in terms of leadership. This year, he’s on it. He’ll talk to guys, high five the young guys that nobody knows. He’s going to be great on the field, but just as great off the field. “
Pugh, who also plays receiver on offense alongside Johnson, is sometimes in awe watching his elusive quarterback shed defenders. Nine times out of 10, when Johnson calls an audible, it leaves Pugh wide open, he said.
“He’s just on a different level,” Pugh said. “When we play against other quarterbacks, they can’t do the things that he can. They can’t throw as far, as accurate. He’s just on a different level.”
Lincoln opens its season at Lincoln Bowl against reigning 3A North Puget Sound League champion Auburn Riverside. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2.
