UAB Blazers Football Update: Tyler Johnston III Out Indefinitely

Head Coach Bill Clark announced this afternoon that junior quarterback Tyler Johnston III has suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder that will keep him out indefinitely.

Tyler Johnston has played in both games this season, throwing for 293 yards, three touchdowns and one interception with a 66% completion percentage. Johnston has started 15 games throughout his career at UAB, leading the Blazers to a Conference USA championship in 2018.

It is unclear how Johnston injured his shoulder and how long he will be out for but the Blazers should be in decent shape thanks to Coach Clark’s decision to play two quarterbacks through the first two games of the season.

Bryson Lucero will now be the starting quarterback for the Blazers when they take on South Alabama on September 24.

Thankfully for the Blazers’ offense, Head Coach Bill Clark prepared his team for this moment by preparing Lucero with plenty of snaps through the first few weeks of the season. Lucero doesn’t have as strong of an arm as Johnston, but UAB is in good hands. Lucero is an apt game manager, as he makes wise decisions with that ball.

Given the weapons surrounding Lucero, all the offense needs is a steady signal caller who can avoid turnovers and make sure his playmakers get the ball in space. They get exactly that with Lucero.

The redshirt freshman comes to Birmingham from the renowned IMG Academy in Florida, a sports-focused institution for top athletes. Lucero chose the Blazers over offers from Harvard and Yale so it’s safe to say Lucero won’t be a grades risk in the classroom.

Lucero has completed 11 of his 21 pass attempts this season for a total of 138 yards and a touchdown.

Hopefully Tyler is back to full health soon, in the meantime let’s hope Bryson is up to the challenge of being the Blazers’ starting quarterback.