Carmel’s Johnny Weber wasn’t always a quarterback.

For years before he committed to play football at Southeast Missouri State, Weber had other priorities.

“I would have said, ‘No way I’m going to college,’” he said. “I was busy riding dirt bikes.”

Weber was practically born to ride. He managed to handle a standard two-wheel bike before he was 3 years old.

“I never had training wheels,” he said.

Weber’s father, Jim, bought him his first dirt bike when he was 3. Weber started racing competitively and qualified for the MX Sports Amateur National Motocross Championship seven times. When he was 8, Weber even competed in an international competition outside Sydney, Australia.

“As a parent, you look for clues and things your children are good at,” Jim Weber said. “By age 3, he had nicknamed himself ‘Johnny Dirt Bike,’ and by 4, we were literally off to the races. He was a natural, and he enjoyed competing.”

But by 2016, Weber was ready to pursue more traditional sports. He started playing quarterback in seventh grade and flashed his booming potential.

Then Jason McKie, who played for the Chicago Bears from 2003 to 2009, was hired as Carmel’s football coach in December 2019.

“I’ve known Johnny since grade school,” McKie said. “Johnny would come into my gym at a young age, and he’s always been mature.”

Weber decided he wanted to attend Carmel.

“I was on board with it even before my parents were,” he said. “My parents needed to think it through a little more, but I was ready.

“And once I made that transition to go play at Carmel, I knew football was my path. Plus, having your head coach be an ex-NFL player, I knew it was a possibility that I’d play at the next level.”

That meant no more dirt bikes for Weber.

“Last time I raced was August 2016,” he said. “I ride a little bit in my front yard, but I won’t go back on a track. If I got hurt riding a dirt bike for no reason, my dad and coach McKie would be pissed.”

The 6-foot-5 Weber’s journey at Carmel has been unconventional, influenced by a spring season in 2021, when he backed up starter Ashton Gondeck.

“Johnny was a good backup,” McKie said. “He was a scout team kid. He did whatever we asked, and he kept grinding.”

Later in that season, Weber’s moment came.

“He ended up playing a lot for us at quarterback,” McKie said.

But as a freshman quarterback, Weber wasn’t very comfortable on the field.

“Everyone is bigger, faster and stronger,” he said. “I was scared. I think I did pretty well for a freshman. It came down to, ‘OK, you’re scared. Can you settle down your emotions and do your job?’”

Since then, Weber has developed into a veteran leader and an increasingly polished quarterback who will play for a Division I Football Championship Subdivision program. He passed for more than 1,700 yards and nine touchdowns while leading the Corsairs (7-4) to a Class 5A playoff win last season.

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“We are actually more excited about his development as a young man,” Jim Weber said. “He is very mature for his age, which makes parenting him a bit easier.”

Weber’s coach views the situation similarly.

“His mental makeup has developed a lot,” McKie said. “Just like the great quarterbacks, he’s going to make some mistakes. But he has that inner hunger and drive to go out there and rebound and make a play right away. That’s what all the great ones have. They’re elite competitors and can forget mistakes.”

As Weber embarks on his senior season, his ahead-of-the-curve mental edge will continue to fuel him. He is expected to start at quarterback for Carmel, which opens with a home game against Crete-Monee on Aug. 25. The Corsairs also have freshman phenom Trae Taylor, who has already received offers from Power Five programs.

“In riding dirt bikes, you’re out of your comfort zone,” Weber said. “You learn how to adapt on the fly and get used to that. I think doing that at such a young age has helped me throughout high school.

“I’m always able to understand, ‘OK, I’m scared. This can go wrong, but I have nothing to lose.’”

Sam Brief is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.