Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
QB Johnson thankful to be back on field
BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic quarterback De’Andre Johnson never doubted himself.
Despite what doctors told him, he always knew he would return to the football field. Johnson made good on his promise when the Owls opened spring practice Tuesday.
After missing all but one game last season because of blood clots in his arm, he was once again under center and competing for the starting spot.
“The doctor said he didn’t know if I’d play, but I was always determined to get back out here,” Johnson said. “I knew I’d get back eventually, just ain’t know when.”
It was Johnson’s first practice in more than six months. A year after battling a potentially lifethreatening situation, he is intent on regaining the form that made him one of the nation’s top recruits in 2015. He is no longer on bloodthinning medication.
A 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior, Johnson initially signed with Florida State out of high school but was dismissed from the University after punching a woman in the face at a bar. The incident landed him at East Mississippi Community College, a school that was featured in the Netflix series “Last Chance U.”
He was expected to compete to be starter for the Owls last year before the blood clots were discovered the second week of the season. Now, Johnson and Chris Robison will compete for the No. 1 spot.
Both are in the position after last year’s starter, Jason Driskel, decided he wanted to focus on academics instead of continuing his playing career. Backup Daniel Parr also transferred in the offseason, leaving Johnson and Robison as the roster’s only scholarship quarterbacks.
“When you’ve been away for a long time and you haven’t really been able to play to your potential, you definitely want to go out there and show what you can do,” Johnson said when camp opened. “It’s just the first day and we got 14 days more, then fall camp.”
Johnson admitted he wasn’t back to his original form. He struggled with accuracy during the first two practices, but expects it to return in time.
“I’m not going to have the prettiest balls for the first week,” Johnson said. “As we keep practicing … everything will come around. Just like riding a bike, once you get the feel for it, it will come back to you.”
Owls coach Lane Kiffin said the recovery process should happen faster for Johnson because the nature of his absence. Conditioning issues will likely be his toughest obstacle.
“I don’t think there’s any difference,” Kiffin said. “It’s not like it was a knee or something where he’s going to rehab something.”
Johnson is just thrilled about being in a different predicament than a year ago. He had enough of serving as the team’s cheerleader while watching the Owls put together the best season in school history.
Now, he wants to participate.
“I’m just fortunate and thank God to be able to be here, to be able to practice and help my teammates again,” Johnson said. indefinitely for violating team rules. A sophomore transfer from Oklahoma, Robison is a former four-star high school recruit.
“He came in (Wednesday) and actually thanked me for it,” Kiffin said. “He said it really kind of embarrassed him nationally and humbled him that things could kind of be taken away. It was good to see.”