Blue White Illustrated

P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> T H E 2 0 1 8 S E A S O N the destination he was aiming for all along. "It was my childhood dream to come here and play here," Johnson said. "It's awesome to be fulfilling that right now." Johnson comes from a Penn State fam- ily. His father, also named Jan, wrestled for the Nittany Lions. His mother, Theresa, was a Penn State swimmer, and an aunt and uncle also played sports for the Lions. It was blue and white all the time in the Johnson household. They went to football games, and as a boy Jan imagined himself playing in Beaver Sta- dium, or maybe even following in the footsteps of his father. He's since done both. When Cael Sanderson needed a re- placement for his injured 285-pounder a few years ago, his first phone call was to Franklin. Sanderson was checking to see if Johnson, who was redshirting with the football team at the time, was available to fill in. The Mohnton native had won his second Pennsylvania state championship for Governor Mifflin High earlier that year, finishing his career with a 170-8 record. For Sanderson, enlisting Johnson made the most sense, but the young athlete had most recently competed at 195 pounds and only weighed about 225 as a freshman at Penn State. But he was willing to give it up for the team, for his school. That's just who he is. "It takes a lot of courage to step out there in front of a sold-out crowd and take on a guy who weighs 40 pounds more than you," Sanderson said after Johnson's first and only win, which came against Lock Haven. Seated alongside his coach in the press conference following the match, Johnson grinned and offered a quick correction. "Fifty," he said. Long odds, but that's just what Johnson has grown accustomed to overcoming. As a high school recruit, he had verbally committed to attend Akron. But when it came down to it, he couldn't bypass a preferred walk-on opportunity from Franklin at PSU. "Growing up [as] a big Penn State fan, all I ever wanted to do was to come here and play football," he said recently. But he had to pay his way, and like most walk-ons, he started out on the scout team. As Johnson bided his time, he did whatever the coaches asked of him. Then when his number was called – long before anyone expected it – he jumped at the chance. At a team meeting this season, Franklin used Johnson as an example for underclassmen who are buried deep in the depth chart, reminding them that they always need to be ready on game day. The coach recounted a trip to Michigan in 2016. Then a redshirt fresh- man, Johnson was the Lions' fifth- string middle linebacker. But they had suffered some injuries early in the sea- son, and the coaches told him that he might be called upon against the Wolverines. Sure enough, he was called upon. Johnson made his collegiate debut that afternoon in the Big House, substi- tuting in during the second quarter and quickly making the first two tackles of his career. Minutes later, he crumpled to the ground with a season-ending knee injury. Johnson worked to return to the field the following fall. He was listed on the of- ficial wrestling roster, too, but didn't see action. It was about maintaining his commitment as an unselfish teammate. The rehab for his injury was just another cost he was willing to pay to reach his ul- timate dream. He was back with the football team the following fall. Johnson appeared in six games as a sophomore, totaling six tack- les. It was on the scout team, however, where he really began grabbing his coaches' attention again. Through his willingness to sacrifice, he garnered the kind of praise from his football coach that he had received from his wrestling coach earlier in his career. "He was the scout-team tight end, be- cause we didn't have somebody who we felt could block well enough in practice to give us the look," Franklin said. "He did that while being a backup line- backer, so he's been an example of a guy who, whatever you asked him to do, he would do that if it was in the best inter- est of the team. He's been unbelievably unselfish and just continues to get bet- ter." Johnson stayed injury-free that year, and that's when it became clear to him that starting for the Nittany Lions was no longer a moonshot wish. It was within reach. "My sophomore year I got real comfort- able saying I can play here," he said. "I didn't come here to just be a scout team player. That wasn't the goal. That's not why I'm here." As Penn State's starting middle line- backer for the first three games, he was trying to capture this moment in time. He had reached one of his goals, but he also knew firsthand how fleeting opportunity can be. And it's not only the game's in- herent health risks that pose a threat. Just as the former wrestler is gaining a foothold at the starting middle linebacker position, underclassmen are coming after his spot. Johnson is very well aware of the many talented linebacker prospects who have joined the program in the past two years. After telling a roomful of reporters earlier this month about his family connection to Penn State, the subject abruptly changed when the next question was asked. Hey, what about Micah Parsons? Johnson answered with grace. "I don't know what his ceiling is," he said. "I mean, he's only 18 years old, maybe." And it's not just Parsons who is chal- lenging the upperclassmen. While Par- sons has seen time at Will LB, Johnson is sharing reps with two freshman middle linebackers, Ellis Brooks and Jesse Luketa. With that rotation in place, he's had to sacrifice some playing time, but he leads them along, showing by exam- ple how to orchestrate the entire de- fense. "He knows the defense in and out," fel- low linebacker Koa Farmer said. "Getting guys set is what he does best." In part, his leadership and organiza- tional skills are what have helped him get on the field before the others. He's earned his shot and now he's working – sacrific- ing – to keep it. ■

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