EX-QB Johnson carries on in the backfield
AUSTIN — Roschon Johnson transformed into a running back only as a measure of last resort. It was supposed to be a temporary move to aid a position group decimated by injuries, a considerate cameo by a selfless true freshman quarterback who had rushed for more than 4,900 yards at Port Neches-groves.
But the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Johnson fit like a burnt-orange glove at tailback. He looked so smooth accelerating through crevices in the trenches and bouncing outside on pitches. Even trickier tasks such as picking up blitzers or swinging out on a wheel route looked like second nature.
So then-coach Tom Herman and running backs coach Stan Drayton decided to keep the former All-american passer at running back throughout the entire 2019 season, both as insurance and because he was effective.
That season, Johnson recorded a pair of 100-yard games and racked up 649 rushing yards on 123 carries with eight total touchdowns. He remained in the backfield in 2020, too, serving as a pace-changing partner to freshman star Bijan Robinson.
Texas parted ways with Herman in January, but Johnson remains an integral part of Drayton’s running back room. And though he’s still growing and adapting, the erstwhile quarterback should be a useful piece for new coach Steve Sarkisian.
“Uh, I can’t really say it feels
just totally natural,” Johnson said of playing in the backfield. “But at the end of the day, if anybody asks me, I say I’m a football player. I feel like I really could do anything that anybody would ask of me. But at the same time, I’m still learning in the position.
“I’m still learning a lot of things and trying to adjust to a lot of things. Because going your whole life from playing quarterback to switching, it’s going to take a few years to really get adjusted. But I’m gradually learning every single year.”
After that Year 1 breakout, it’s
safe to assume Sarkisian will hand off to Robinson more than 9.5 times per game, his average in nine outings last season. As a true freshman, Robinson amassed 703 rushing yards and 196 receiving yards, averaged 8.3 yards per carry and 8.9 yards per touch, and rushed for more than 100 yards in three of his final four games.
Still, in Texas’ final two games, Johnson rushed for 171 yards and four touchdowns in blowout wins over Kansas State and Colorado.
Johnson will benefit from a full offseason of work with Drayton.
He trained at quarterback in 2019 as an early enrollee, then was robbed of spring practice in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Me and coach Drayton have established a great relationship over these past couple years,” Johnson said. “He’s helped me through a lot, evolving into the running back position and just trying to get better at my craft. I feel like he’s helped me on and off the field. So it’s a credit to him for the position I’m at today. He’s done a lot for me and that’ll be a lifelong friend, father figure.”
Redshirt senior CB on his third coach
Redshirt senior cornerback Josh Thompson committed to Texas on July 27, 2016, five weeks before the start of coach Charlie Strong’s final season on the Forty Acres. The former Nacogdoches All-american safety outlasted the new guy, too.
Now, following four seasons with Herman, Thompson is preparing for one more run with Sarkisian, the new “new guy.”
“Every coach has their different beliefs and different things they do,” Thompson said. “Coach Sark comes in with high energy every day. He’s accountable to his players. He listens to his players. Whatever we need, he’ll give to us. And I really like that about him. He’s leading us in the right way.”
Sarkisian doesn’t plaster “good guy/bad buy” hydration charts around the facilities like his predecessor did. And everyone has access to the same food — no soggy pancakes or burnt toast for players who underperformed.
Still, the players remain starryeyed during this honeymoon phase with their new coaches, four of whom just won the 2020 national title at Alabama.
“He just does a lot of things that stand out,” Thompson said of Sarkisian. “During practice he walks around, talks to each group. It’s just different, I don’t really know how to explain it. But he brings high energy and just wants his players to be accountable and disciplined.”