Quentin Johnston says, “I’m about to break out” under Jim Harbaugh.

Quentin Johnston says, “I’m about to break out” under Jim Harbaugh.

Jim Harbaugh has been in touch with several players since taking the job as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers last week.

One of these is Quentin Johnston, who Harbaugh coached against at Michigan in the College Football Playoff’s semifinal two years ago.

Harbaugh will walk into a TCU locker room full of players like Johnston, Derius Davis, and Max Duggan, who participated in all on the Horned Frogs team that beat Harbaugh’s Wolverines.

In his first conversation with Johnston, Harbaugh made fun of that moment before telling the rookie how excited he was to coach him this season.

Michigan lost that game 51–45 to Johnston and TCU. The star receiver caught six passes for 163 yards along with a touchdown.

“Being with the 49ers before going to college, I do not doubt that he can do that with this team at this level again,” Johnston, the Chargers’ first-round pick in 2023, said.

“That means we have a lot of faith in him.” Several of the players and I have been texting back and forth. We’re all very excited about going back to work. In the end, he caught 38 passes for 431 yards as well as two touchdowns.

Harbaugh’s first news conference as head coach will be on Thursday. He coached the 49ers from 2011 to 2014, during that time his teams won three conference titles and a Super Bowl.

Michael Crabtree had some of his best seasons as a receiver under Jim Harbaugh. In 2012, he had a career-high of 1,105 yards or nine touchdowns.

Last year, the Chargers picked Johnston with the 21st pick. Johnston’s season was mostly bad because he kept dropping passes.

However, he did show signs of the talent that made him a first-round pick, like a 51-yard catch in a loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 14.

The Chargers wide receiver had a disappointing rookie year, but he thinks things will get better now that Jim Harbaugh is the new head coach of the Los Angeles Rams.

“I didn’t get a chance to show she I was and what sort of player I am, but I continue to have the world of trust in myself even if nobody doesn’t,” Johnston told ESPN’s Kris Rhim.

“That’s why I can’t wait for the next season.” I already said that I think I’m due for a breakout, so I’m looking forward to it.

Johnston was a 6-foot-4, 215-pound star at TCU. He was the second among four straight wide receivers picked in the first three rounds of the 2023 draft. However, he didn’t do as well as other first-round wideouts that season.

The first wide receiver picked, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, had a slow start but found a place in Seattle’s offense with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. By the end of the year, he had 63 receptions for 628 yards as well as four touchdowns.

As the 22nd overall pick, Zay Flowers quickly became Baltimore’s best wide receiver, catching 77 passes for 858 yards and five touchdowns.

For Minnesota, Jordan Addison makes a swift impression with 70 catches for 911 yards and ten touchdowns.

A lot more was done by rookies from subsequent rounds like Puka Nacua, Tank Dell, and Jayden Reed than by Johnston.

At first, he didn’t get much playing time. For the first six weeks, he played in about half of the offensive snaps or less because L.A.’s receiving line was hurt a lot. He had 431 yards or two touchdowns on 38 receptions in his first season.

Even so, the Chargers had a bad game as a whole. The offense scored 21 points, which was tied for the second-lowest total in the last 20 years. It also gained 18 yards, which was tied for the lowest total since 2014.

Johnston didn’t play as well as he should have, but he’s not a finished product just yet after one season.

Several of the players and I have been writing back and forth. We’re all very excited about going back to work.

Even though he didn’t look the part, he still has the qualities that made him a first-round pick. With Harbaugh on board, it seems like Justin Herbert, who was already a great quarterback, can reach even higher levels, which would be good for everyone.

“Being a manager for the 49ers before going to college, I do not doubt that he can do that again with this team at this level,” Johnston said of Harbaugh. “That means we have a lot of faith in him.”