Gabarri Johnson thinks Oregon State will 'take me more seriously' as quarterback transfer

TACOMA, Wash. - As no better than the fourth-string quarterback for one of the SEC's better football programs this season, Gabarri Johnson used a redshirt year as a true freshman at the University of Missouri.

He understands that is how the world of college football works - you bide your time and earn your stripes.

What he cannot fathom is how little investment the Tigers showed in his development.

Days after entering his name in the NCAA portal, the dual-threat signal caller out of Lincoln High School in Tacoma, announced he would be transferring to Oregon State University - a place where he feels he will have legitimate opportunity to complete for a higher spot on the depth chart.

"I feel great about it," said Johnson, who attended a Lincoln home basketball game Wednesday night and spoke to SBLive WA exclusively about his decision.

While Johnson flashed the same big-play capability during Missouri's preseason camp that earned him SBLive WA all-state offensive player of the year in 2022, he sat behind second-year starter Brady Cook (3,189 passing yards, 20 touchdowns heading into Cotton Bowl matchup Friday against Ohio State), two-year backup Sam Horn and transfer Jake Garcia in the Tigers' pecking order.

Plus, three-star Tennessee prep standout Aidan Glover signed with the Tigers as part of the class of 2024.

"I played scout team the whole year ... and they barely taught me the offense," Johnson said. "I knew I had to find somewhere where I felt like they were going to take me more seriously."

Johnson had stayed in contact with a couple of friends who were already on the Oregon State roster, notably David Wells, a wide receiver who played at Lakes High School.

Then, after consulting with personal quarterback Lavelle Durant. whose son, Malachi, is part of the Beavers' 2024 class, Johnson began to seriously monitor what Oregon State was doing.

Finally, after top quarterbacks DJ Uiagalelei and Aidan Chiles (whom Durant has helped train) put their names in the NCAA transfer portal, Johnson saw a preferred opening.

"I knew Gundy (Oregon State's new offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson) because he recruited me at UCLA," Johnson said. "After after I saw (Uiagalelei and Chiles) left, my quarterback trainer ... mentioned, 'You never know what can happen up here at OSU. All the quarterbacks are gone ... so if you want to (transfer here), it is up to you.'"

Johnson isn't the only transfer quarterback Oregon State is inheriting before spring ball. University of Idaho's Gevani McCoy, who has passed for more than 5,600 yards and 42 touchdowns the past two seasons for the Vandals, announced last week he was coming to Corvallis, Oregon.

As a senior at Lincoln in 2022, Johnson completed 133 of 190 passes for 2,301 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing 177 times for 1,639 yards and another 21 scores for a Class 3A quarterfinal squad.

For his career as a three-year starter, he finished with nearly 8,900 yards of total offense and 111 touchdowns.