Junior wide receiver gaining national attention, offers after missing last season.
With the nation's top sophomore quarterback
Arch Manning in focus, cameras figure to roll regularly at
Newman (New Orleans) football games in 2020. That should give junior receiver
A.J. Johnson plenty of opportunities to steal the spotlight.
He largely did that in the first eight minutes of the Greenies' 41-0 season-opening win last week at East Jefferson.
The 6-foot-4, 202-pounder, playing in his first game since his freshman season, made two spectacular touchdown grabs from Manning, the nephew of Super Bowl winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning.
On Newman's opening drive, Manning lofted a long pass down the right sideline. Johnson easily leaped above a shorter cornerback and hauled in the pass at the 25. He avoided one tackler and easily beat the safety to the end zone completing a 70-yard, catch-and-run TD to start the season.
It was a dream start for Johnson, who sat out last season — a span of 21 months — after transferring from McMain.
"I was so excited to get on the field," Johnson said Monday by phone. "I was literally in tears getting out there. All my teammates were hyping me up, getting me prepared.
A.J. Johnson caught two touchdown passes in his debut for Newman.
Photo by Parker Waters
"On the play, the offensive line did a great job blocking, Arch knew his receivers and just put it out there for me. I had the easy part."
He made another spectacular play look easy on the team's next possession when Manning evaded a big rush from the East Jefferson 30, rolled left against his body and, under heavy duress, heaved the ball to an open spot in the back of the end zone.
Initially, it looked like Manning might've thrown the ball away. Instead, sprinting from the right corner of the end zone, Johnson closed beautifully on the ball and made a spectacular diving catch, just inside the end line.
"I originally ran a slant but when that wasn't open, I saw Arch scrambling left and you learn to just sprint that direction, too," Johnson said. "He put it in the only place I could get it. It's such a blessing to have him as our quarterback. He's just so humble. He scores a touchdown and it's no big deal."
While Manning has the name recognition and is being highly recruited, Johnson has one less college offer with eight. The ones he's earned are impressive: Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Florida State, Kansas, Mississippi State, Virginia and Tennessee.
Pretty good considering he didn't play last season. The time off allowed him gain nearly 50 pounds and grow two inches. He now stands an inch taller than his idol, Julio Jones, but needs to add another 20 more pounds of muscle to match the Atlanta Falcons' receiver.
"He's a big-bodied receiver who makes freaky plays and catches," Johnson said of Jones. "That's just what I want to do."
His first two catches probably qualified under the "freaky" category, but Johnson didn't see it that way. He and Manning threw the ball around all summer, to work on their timing.
"I'm supposed to make those kinds of plays," he said. "Hope we make many more in the next two years."
