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Senior Spotlight: Running Back Josh Johnson

Senior Spotlight: Running Back Josh Johnson

Football Oct 31
By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist

Editor's Note: This Senior Spotlight is republished from the Oct. 31 digital game program (vs. Appalachian State).

Josh Johnson is as introspective off the field as he is productive on it.

Look no further than his jersey number 8. He said it's the sum total of the jersey numbers he's worn at every level and reminds him of his journey.

"I wore 22 when I got to college but that was given to me. I wanted to wear a number that would equal all of the numbers I had getting up to this point," Johnson said. "In middle school, I wore 1, in high school I wore 3 and in junior college I wore 4. All those led me up to be a Division I player. I wanted to honor it by wearing number 8."

ULM's senior running back values every step in his life as a piece of his puzzle. Good times and bad, Johnson is the sum of his experiences.

"Whatever I go through, I try not to let anything break me," Johnson said. "I know that God has a plan for me and my life. That's how I go about my day."

A three-star recruit in high school, Johnson was disappointed when he had to take the junior college path to get his academics in order.

"I couldn't pass the ACT and people back home were writing me off," he said. "He's got all these offers but can't do his school work. I was asking my mom, 'Why me?' She just said, 'Why not you?' You have to go through tough times to get what you want. It's testing your faith. God is still in control and God knows what's best for you. Your road to success may take you down this road."

Johnson handled his business at Coahoma (Mississippi) Community College, including a game where he rushed for 321 yards and four touchdowns against Mississippi Delta Community College. The Opelika, Alabama, was committed to Ole Miss, but again, things didn't materialize the way he planned.

"Things didn't work out the way I wanted," Johnson said. "But Coach John Carr reached out to me when he was here and told me ULM had one more spot and they'd love to have me."

And so, Johnson became a late addition to the 2018 ULM recruiting class thanks to a connection with a former Warhawks assistant, who remembered him from his own JUCO coaching days at Jones Community College.

"I just took it and the rest is history," Johnson said.

Unable to break into the lineup in 2018, Johnson patiently waited a year behind Derrick Gore for his turn, and then erupted for the fourth-highest single-season rushing total in school history with 1,298 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019.

"My first year, it wasn't my time," Johnson said. "I'm a firm believer that it can be your time but not your turn. It was Derrick Gore's turn when I got here. The next year was my time to show why it was my turn."

In his breakout junior year, Johnson opened with 69 consecutive carries without being tackled in the backfield. He recorded his seventh 100-yard game in the season finale at the Ragin' Cajuns, finishing with 13 carries for 109 yards and was ULM's first 1,000-yard rusher since Frank Goodin (219 rushes for 1,126 yards and 13 TDs) in 2009.

"What I did last year was something I've been doing all my life," said Johnson, who rushed for 2,552 yards and 43 TDs in two seasons at Opelika High School and gained 1,101 yards at Coahoma in 2017. "I've been a 1,000-yard rusher all my life. It's a goal of mine to accomplish every single year. It was huge to get all the recognition that I did, especially coming off a season where no one really knew who I was after that 2018 season. Last year was awesome."

If you're looking for NFL comparisons, a few names come to mine.

"I try to model myself after Marshawn Lynch and Maurice Jones-Drew, since we've got similar builds" said Johnson, mentioning a pair of former pro runners. "Most scouts say I remind them of Kareem Hunt, but I don't think I'm as fast as him."

While the year 2020 took its best shot at us all, Johnson took comfort in the fact that he'd already earned his criminal justice degree and was working on his masters. When matters of social justice became an important topic in the locker room, Johnson was one of the leaders on the football team who met with head coach Matt Viator, which led a forum for student-athletes to discuss the emotional issues.

"I really wanted to do more," Johnson said. 'We were already doing stuff here at ULM and I commend them for that. But we didn't have it when athletes were here. … I just wanted us to get together and do stuff."

Johnson entered the season with big expectations, but his senior season so far has been frustrating for him and the Warhawks. Still, he's always itching for the next opportunity.

"I'm going to catch up," Johnson, who leads ULM in rushing yards (248) and rushing touchdowns (3), said. "Once you see the numbers start going up, you'll be like 'Yeah, Josh told me so.' I'm going to catch up. Trust me."

Johnson has shown promising glimpses this year for sure. He accounted for a career-best three touchdowns in ULM's 35-30 Homecoming loss to Georgia Southern, and he's moving up on some of ULM's lists of all-time records. With 1,615 career rushing yards, Johnson ranks No. 14 in ULM history. His 15 career rushing TDs are tied for No. 12 on the program's all-time chart.

Much like the biblical story of Job, Johnson's tale is a study in perseverance. Through ULM's 0-6 start and his struggles to post the same big numbers as he did a year ago, Johnson remains unbowed.

"Really, it's just another test of my faith and going through adversity," Johnson said. "I feel like you have to go through something to get what you want. That's how I look at this whole year. Even though we're 0-6 right now, we have to go through tough times to get what we want. We still can maybe go 6-6. But in life, I feel like you have to go through something to teach you a lesson. That's how I look at this whole year."

Johnson would like a shot to play professionally, but his diploma gives him options too.

"Right now, I'm majoring in forensic psychology and I got my bachelor's degree in criminal justice," he said. "I want to do something in that field, like working in homicide or being a detective. Something like that."
 
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