Being the son of an 11-year NFL veteran doesn't always guarantee a smooth football career and a plethora of offers by power conference teams at an early age. Chris Johnson II, son of Super Bowl champion Chris Johnson, knows all too well about battling to earn the spot that he is in today, part of a talented incoming freshmen group of physical defensive backs from the state of Texas who are poised to make their presence known in the spring.
Johnson shares with us his football journey, playing on a back-to-back state championship team, the effective recruiting approach by ASU's defensive back coach Bryan Carrington, and the newcomer's expectations of his first season in Tempe.
“The first time I was playing football was when I was three, and it was flag football, and I’ve been playing the game since then pretty much my whole life. Even then, I was playing on a powerhouse team, winning Little League Super Bowls. When I was little, I played running back and outside linebacker, and I’ve always played both sides of the ball. In middle school, I didn’t play at all, and in my freshman year of high school, I tried wide receiver. and I didn’t really like so I played on the other side of the ball.
“In middle school, I stopped playing because I had the same coach from first through sixth grade. And then, in middle school, you have a whole new playbook and a whole new coach, so I was taking a break from it. I tried basketball, and I realized I didn’t like basketball, so I just picked up the football again. My dad has never been pushy about me playing football. When I stopped playing football, he never pushed me to get back on the football field. He was letting me have my own path. And then, when I totally wanted to try football again, that’s when he told me: “All right, if you’re doing this, you need to take it seriously.’ I wasn’t allowed to lallygag, and here we are now.
“I don’t really train a lot with my dad. I have my own trainer that me and a lot of my teammates go to. But sometimes the day after games he and I will watch film together. He has that side of the side of football, taking care of watching film and things like that. The best advice he gave me was definitely to always watching the down and distance and recognize what type of routes the receiver will be running in the type of down and distance. I really picked that up in the last couple of games this season. My dad came through the JUCO route and then was blessed enough to play at Louisville and just took off from there. So, he always just told me to keep my head down and work hard, especially the opportunity I have to go straight out of high school to a Power Four program and make the most of the opportunity never look back.
“I would say that I always knew I was good enough to get some kind of a college scholarship because of my genes, but I didn’t think I’d blow up. I got the Louisville scholarship, and that’s my dad is my dad’s alma mater. It was cool that they looked at me and offered me first. And then, I got one from Grambling State, and some smaller universities started trickling with offers. I was sending out film to a lot of coaches. Coach BC (ASU’s defensive backs coach Bryan Carrington) saw my film in the airport before he was supposed to fly back to Tempe, and he canceled his flight because he drove to my high school and told my coach that he was offering me. And ever since Arizona State offered me things were ramping up with offers. So, I know I would be playing at a Power Four program. My first year of varsity was my junior year, and after that year, that’s when I started getting my offers.
“I was never pressured being the son of an NFL player and getting a lot of good offers. My dad knew it was in me to get those offers, even early in my junior year when we started sending out video games, and (college) coaches were talking to me. He was always calm about it because he knew it was God’s plan and that it would happen.
“Playing at Aledo definitely helped my recruiting. With a lot of a lot of recruits, they’ll play ten games and be done. We played 16 games at Aledo, and that helps a lot of players who have more film to show when you’re playing 32 games in a two-year span, and you’re back-to-back state champs. At Aledo, there’s never pressure, but there are always very high expectations, and we’ve always risen to the occasion and exceeded those expectations because that’s what Aledo football has taught us to do: never let the stage be too high or get into your head. Just go out there and play your game, and that’s what we all did.
“Coach BC said that he liked that I was still a young player. When he offered me, I was just turning 16 at that time, and I had just turned 17 a few months ago. He liked the speed and length that I have for my age and also the maturity and the level of competitiveness that I have for my age that you usually don’t see. I ran track in high school, 200 meters (22.24 is Johnson’s personal best) and 4x400. At first, I didn’t like track. My dad, being a track guy before he became a football always told me that during the offseason, all of his friends who played football ran track to stay in shape and keep their speed up. So, at first, I was putting up some pretty bad times, but as the season progressed, I definitely saw those times dropping. I realized that he wasn’t wrong about what he said about track.
“Coach BC never swayed away from how he was recruiting me, even when I got my offers from Oregon, Utah, and SMU. He never swayed away from how passionate he was recruiting me. He and the other ASU recruiting staff talked a lot on the phone with me. He’s always genuine, and when we talk, everything doesn’t have to be about football recruiting. That’s why my family likes him and the whole staff a lot. So, with all that coming together, it was a no-brainer to pick Arizona State.
“I know this wasn’t as successful of a season (for ASU) as everyone planned it to be during Coach Dillingham’s first year. But at the same time, you gotta remember that there were a lot of injuries this year. I feel that they still did the best they could with the injuries that they were going through and the situations that they were in. I’m ready to be on the team and see what we can do when everyone is healthy, full-throttle Texas to Tempe, all of that in one accord. And see what we bring to the table.
“It’s really cool having so many of us from Texas. We’re already all cool with each other and talk a lot. We’re gonna be roommates when we get down there in the first spring. So, we’re already all close, ready to get on the field and put in that work. (Defensive coordinator) Coach Ward told me that he could see me playing a whole bunch of positions…nickel, safety, corner, so that gives me more opportunities on the field, learn more things and perfect my craft, so I’m really excited about that. I assume I’ll start spring at corner, but I’m not scared to switch it around because I did that at Aledo.
“When I was getting a lot of offers, my mom looked at me and asked me, ‘Do you want to graduate early?’ A couple of my friends from last year’s senior class graduated early, and it really worked out for them. I asked around what they thought about it and if there were really pros and cons. The cons were that you’re missing out on the highlight part of your senior year, no football, and getting to sleep in. The pros were that you already have done your work, and you’re getting ahead of everyone who is only coming in the fall. You’ve already got the playbook down; you’re already in the weight room with the coaches. So, I knew that the pros really outweighed the cons, and it was a no-brainer to graduate early.
“I love ASU, and I love the city because I love being outside, and there is a lot to do there besides football. The more things I can do outside of football, the better. I like that there are a lot of opportunities to go somewhere for a day or a weekend.
Phoenix is right down the street. Scottsdale is right down the street. I love the fan base, and even though they didn’t have as good of a season, I went down there for the Oregon game, and it was still a packed house. I love the commitment to Arizona State.
“I know once I get down there, I gotta remain patient because I’m not the upperclassman anymore. I’m not the guy that deserves the reps. This is college football, so whoever earns the reps is gonna get the reps. I’m coming trying to earn my stripes and make an impact. I know Coach Dillingham expects us (the defensive backs from Texas) to make an impact early, and that means that I, Tony (Tony-Louis Nkuba), and Rod (Rodney Bimage) are friends who, at the end of the day, are still in competition to get a spot (in the rotation). I feel we all understand that, and we’re all ready to work for it.”
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