Blue White Illustrated

P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> now. You're talking about a wideout who's 6-4, 230 pounds," Franklin said to- ward the end of last season. "He can run, and now he's breaking tackles and making one-handed catches. His catch radius is unbelievable. He's a guy you can depend on. He's another great teammate. … I couldn't be more excited about Juwan and his future, and that's in every way possi- ble. We knew he had a great off-season. We were expecting him to have a big year, and I think we're going to go back and go through the cut-ups when the season is over and realize that he probably had a better year than everybody realizes." One thing the coaches will definitely no- tice is that most of Johnson's catches – 38 to be exact – produced first downs. That amounts to 70 percent, and it's perhaps the most remarkable stat in his portfolio. Johnson said he doesn't pay special at- tention to the sticks, but he does have the size and strength to overpower would-be tacklers once he's secured the ball. Penn State strength and conditioning coach Dwight Galt recently called him "a trained killer... one of our top, top guys." And if that weren't enough, Johnson's de- termined attitude makes him even harder to bring down. "I try to fight for every yard," he said. "I don't want to go down on the first tackle or the second tackle. I try to fight through it. Also [it's important to] be cognizant of the ball and not fumble it. I'm trying to fight for every yard and get the yards that we need." Johnson and the rest of Penn State's wideouts will be working with a new re- ceivers coach this year in David Corley. The veteran wideout admits he was caught off- guard by Josh Gattis's departure for Ala- bama, especially since it occurred in late January, well after the wave of postseason coaching upheaval had settled down. Corley, who worked with Army's wide- outs last year, has promised a tough-love approach. Said Johnson, "He's going to be on us, but he's going to be the coach that we need him to be. He expects great things. He wants us to be competitive. But he doesn't want to degrade you or anything. Gattis did a great job with us, with our techniques. Coach Corley won't have to teach as much because we got that great foundation from Coach Gattis. I thank Coach Gattis and wish him all the best at Alabama, but I feel like Coach Corley is going to do a great job with us." Another influence on Johnson's career is his older brother George, a Rutgers grad and nine-year NFL veteran who played the 2017 season with the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints. The Johnson brothers talk just about every week, and while their conversations are rarely about football – "It's more just catching up: How you doing? How's the family?" Juwan said – George's career has provided inspiration as Juwan looks to put himself in position to play professionally. "Ever since we were little, that's been his and my dream – going into the NFL and performing and even playing against each other one day," Juwan said. To enhance that possibility, Johnson is focused on making the most of his redshirt junior season. He was an honorable men- tion All-Big Ten choice last year, and with McSorley slinging passes and a veteran of- fensive line providing the protection, he appears well-positioned to build on the success he enjoyed as a sophomore. But he's not focused solely on his own productivity. A big part of his ongoing self-improvement project is to sharpen his leadership skills and use them to bring out the best in his fellow wideouts. The Nittany Lions are in a transitional period this spring. They've got three veteran re- turnees in Johnson, DeAndre Thompkins and Brandon Polk, but they also expect to rely heavily on a number of players who have yet to suit up in a game, such as red- shirt freshmen K.J. Hamler, Mac Hippen- hammer and Cameron Sullivan-Brown, and potentially even a true freshman or two, a group headlined by five-star New Jersey recruit Justin Shorter. Johnson un- derstands that those young players are going to need someone to lean on, and he's eager to share what he knows. "It's kind of what's expected from our group," he said. "I feel like I can step into that role and do what the team needs me to do, myself and DeAndre." If all goes well, he'll be able to create a few more memories like his night in Iowa City. Except for the broken-up pass in the end zone, the game was one big highlight for Johnson, as he caught seven passes for 92 yards, including the walk-off touch- down. But looking back, he sees it mostly as a stepping stone. "I felt like it was the game that got me started," he said. "It gave me even more confidence with my game. Building off that performance elevated my game [and encouraged] me to top my performance and top my expectations." ■ THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY Johnson draws motivation from plays like this incompletion in the end zone against Iowa. Photo by Steve Manuel

• Cover