Johnson fan of Aggies’ new culture
COLLEGE STATION — Linebacker Buddy Johnson, as he prepares to slide on a Texas A&M jersey for a final time Saturday night, will always remember Jimbo Fisher’s first meeting with the Aggies three years ago this month.
“The first time he talked to the team, he came into the locker room and guys were joking around,” Johnson said. “He snatched off his glasses just like that and said, ‘What are y’all laughing at? There’s nothing funny here — it’s straight business.’ Since then you can tell the change, the sense of urgency around the building and everything that comes with it.
“He talked about coming in and changing the culture, and he’s done just that.”
Fisher had to cajole some players, prod others and inevitably run some off who simply were not going to buy in to a new way of doing business in the Bright Football Complex. Then there was a freshman linebacker named Buddy Johnson, buying in to every bark.
“The (good) things that are happening on the field are no surprise,” Fisher said of his nowsenior leader’s plentiful contributions in football and life, “because he does them off the field.”
The No. 5 Aggies, who face No. 13 North Carolina on Saturday night in the Capital One Orange Bowl, have enjoyed a resurgence under Fisher, and leading the way defensively this season is a high-revving player Fisher inherited from previous coach Kevin Sumlin.
“I’m proud to be one of the guys who was able to help (Fisher) lay that foundation and make a change,” Johnson said. “To be a guy that coach Fisher can say helped change the program around — that’s something I’m blessed and extremely happy about.”
Johnson’s 76 tackles are 27 more than anyone else on the defense, and he’s led the team in tackles in six of the Aggies’ nine games this season. He’s had at least 10 tackles in more than half of A&M’S games (five).
“He’s doing a really good job of making calls, getting guys in the right spots and being a leader,” Fisher said. “Buddy’s been really good — really good.”
Oneof Johnson’s biggest contributions in keeping the team from unraveling occurred before a single snap this season, after a couple of key teammates chose to opt out of playing in 2020.
Johnson on Sept. 13 simply posted to Twitter: “1000% percent committed,” in letting A&M fans know he was in it for the long haul, in an already odd summer and fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two weeks later A&M started its season with a 17-12 victory over Vanderbilt at Kyle Field on Sept. 26.
“Buddy’s off-field leadership and direction to kids and keeping guys contained and reminding them to stay quarantined or out of the melee of people and stay disciplined — he did an outstanding job in our offseason and with what he’s doing now,” Fisher said. “Our kids have tremendous respect for him.”
Following a loss at topranked Alabama in Week 2, Johnson also helped save A&M’S season by knocking the ball loose from Florida running back Malik Davis near midfield with the game tied at 38 with 3:40 remaining in Week 3. The Aggies prevailed 41-38 at Kyle Field and won their next six SEC games by double digits in nearly making the fourteam College Football Playoff.
“I keep talking about how the program has changed, but it’s only the beginning,” said Johnson, who’s expected to earn a shot in the NFL in 2021. “It’s only the beginning. There’s that phrase, ‘It’s always calm before the storm.’ It’s calm right now, but the storm is most definitely coming, and guys should be worried for sure.”
Although seniors are allowed to return next season because of the pandemic, the Aggies figure to lose Johnson and perhaps fellow starting linebacker Aaron Hansford, along with defensive tackle Jayden Peevy and cornerback Myles Jones, from this year’s defense.
A&M leads the SEC and ranks ninth nationally in total defense among teams that have played at least eight games in allowing 317 yards per game.
“After the Alabama and Florida games, we knew we had to look ourselves in the mirror and get things together,” Johnson said of a 52-24 loss to the Crimson Tide and the high-scoring, three-point victory over the Gators. “It started in practice, and we wanted to make a change. Since then, it’s only been up from there.”
The Aggies head to Miami with little of the usual postseason fanfare, as the pandemic has nixed the typical buildup for a ballyhooed bowl game. Johnson said that’s OK.
“We’re preparing the right way, and that this is business,” he said of his final college game. “A bowl game is about having fun, but it’s still about winning and doing your job. So, it’s a business trip.”