Blue White Illustrated

J uwan Johnson has benefited from be- ing a little brother, although it might be stretching things to use the word "little" to describe the Penn State re- cruit. A 6-foot-4, 212-pound receiver from Glassboro, N.J., he was known through- out his high school career for making big plays and winning big games. And one of his motivations was to keep up with his big brothers Darius and George, who were also standouts at Glassboro High. Darius is the oldest brother, a standout on the 1999 Glassboro team. He didn't go on to play college football but has been a strong mentor. George Johnson is well known to NFL fans. A defensive end, he enjoyed a standout season with the Detroit Lions and as a restricted free agent was just signed to an offer sheet by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team he broke into the NFL with in 2011 after starring at Rutgers. This past season, George Johnson, 27, recorded six sacks for Detroit and as a re- stricted free agent, Tampa Bay signed him to a three-year, $9 million contract. A4er the team worked out a deal, he is now with the Buccaneers. "It has been a crazy time for him," Juwan Johnson said. Both of his big brothers have been in- spirations to Juwan. "They motivate me," he said. "I see the success they had and it makes me want to do better." He hasn't done too badly following in their footsteps. A four-year varsity per- former at Glassboro, Johnson was a major part of two South Jersey championships (the highest a public school can achieve in New Jersey). As a freshman in 2011, he intercepted three passes and took one back for a touch- down as Glassboro defeated Pennsville, 41-13, in the South Jersey Group 1 title game. Two years later, Johnson scored two touchdowns as Glassboro routed Penns Grove, 44-0, for the championship. He scored on a 31-yard interception return and on a 75-yard punt return. Johnson did his part in helping continue an outstanding tradition at this South Jer- sey high school, located about a 20-minute drive from Philadelphia. "Besides the championships, my biggest thrill was playing with high-caliber players line Ronnie [James] and Corey [Clement]," Johnson said. James, a defensive back, is a Rutgers re- cruit, while Clement has enjoyed two strong seasons as a running back at Wisconsin. Johnson committed to Penn State in March of his junior season. He said the other schools he was considering were Boston College and Pittsburgh. All three were within driving distance of his Glass- boro home, which was a factor. Penn State is about a four-hour drive from his hometown, and its relative proximity felt just about right. The university is "far enough for me to become my own person," Johnson said. But, he added, "it will be good for my family to see me play." While Johnson was recruited as a receiver, he is capable of playing a number of po- sitions. At Glassboro, he was a wideout THE JOHNSON FILE STATS Caught 42 passes for 804 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior while also rushing for 102 yards and two TDs on five carries... Made 23 tackles and had three in- terceptions and four pass break- ups as a defensive player in his final season... Averaged 13.7 yards on six punt returns... Contributed to two South Jersey Group 1 champi- onships in his four years on the var- sity team at Glassboro High HONORS Named a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the na- tion's No. 16 wide receiver, No. 3 prospect in New Jersey and No. 152 player nationally... Chosen to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl CLICK HERE to see video of Johnson in action. Brothers' success keeps Johnson motivated |

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