Video: South Carolina junior squats absurd amount of weightJhabias Johnson might have more college options than he originally thought.
The 5-foot-9, 338-pound junior center and nose guard for
Bluffton (S.C.) announced on Twitter in January that he had committed to Butler Community College.
On Saturday he reportedly broke the South Carolina state squat record by lifting a remarkable 755 pounds at the state's strength meet. That kind of number attracts college recruiters, like the Oregon Ducks, his favorite college team. For a point of reference, a smart car weighs about 1,500 pounds.
According to this question-and-answer with Johnson in
Bluffton Today, Johnson had 28 solo tackles in 2015 after recording 15 tackles in four games as a sophomore. He told the publication that he also plays backup quarterback. Well, at least on one play.
"It was in the first quarter (of a game)," he said. "We needed a first down so they put me in at quarterback and we ran it."
He got the first down. As a ninth-grader, he scored a touchdown from the quarterback spot. Since then, he's focused on life in the trenches and working his lower body. Before Saturday, he squatted what was believed to be a state mark of 715 pounds. He increased that total by 40 pounds.
He said running and a strenuous leg workout on Mondays from coach Tommy Adams is why he can lift so much.
"Never skip leg day," he told the newspaper. "Love Mondays."
