The Curious Case of Justin Johnson
Last week, WKU athletics officially announced that senior 6'7", 240 pound power forward Justin Johnson will be giving up his scholarship on the basketball team and will officially be joining the football team as a scholarship tight end.
Johnson’s move to football helped the basketball team reach their scholarship limit of 13. The door has been left open for him to re-join the basketball team as a walk-on after the football season is over in December, but his move leaves many questions for both sports.
JOHNSON’S (BASKETBALL) STORY SO FAR
Justin Johnson was a member of the 2014 recruiting class — three-star power forward out of Perry County (KY) Central High School. He was a Mr. Basketball finalist and All-State in Kentucky and chose Ray Harper’s Hilltoppers over Power 5 programs including Boston College & Auburn.
During his Freshman year in 2014–15, he backed up George Fant and averaged 4.8 points & 4.1 rebounds on just 15.5 minutes per game for a team that went 20–12 and lost a heartbreaker to UAB in the Conference USA tournament.
Johnson seamlessly stepped into the starting lineup in his sophomore year. On a team with just three seniors, he led the team in points at 14.9 points per game while also leading the squad with 7.9 rebounds in 28.9 minutes a game. He had several memorable moments on Ray Harper’s squad including this buzzer beater against EKU.
WKU advanced to the Conference USA Tournament semifinals, after upsetting top-seeded UAB in their home city.
In that game, Johnson was at his best.
In total, he scored 14 points while adding 15 rebounds and chipped in foru assists as the Toppers ruined the Blazers NCAA tournament hopes 88–77.
WKU succumbed to Old Dominion the next game, but the future appeared bright for him and Ray Harper’s squad.
After the season the shocking dismissal of Ray Harper and three key players quickly occurred. Johnson was one of just three returning scholarship players from the 15–16 team.
Coming into this past year, Rick Stansbury’s initial squad struggled with chemistry and consistency, but Johnson’s game improved. On a team with three senior grad transfers, Johnson still led the team with 14.5 points per game, adding 9.4 rebounds and he a new dimension to his game, shooting 39% from three-point range on a team that finished a disappointing 15–17 in Stansbury’s first year.
Johnson still earned Second Team All-Conference honors.
With Stansbury’s once again turning over the roster, Johnson was thought to be a rare experienced senior leader that could set the tone for the program and bring continuity and leadership to a mishmash team of highly touted freshman, transfers and just four “expected” returnees. Worries of a potential graduate transfer were then alleviated as Johnson was photographed with Rick Stansbury at the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen in Lexington:
JOHNSON’S POTENTIAL IMPACT FOR THE FOOTBALL TEAM
Out of the blue, during the middle of spring practice, Johnson surprisingly started practicing with Mike Sanford’s football team as a tight end.
For spring practice, he helped bolster a position that had only two scholarship players (senior Deon Yelder & redshirt freshman Kyle Fourtenbary) on campus. He practiced for a few weeks, steadily showing that despite his inexperience, his athleticism and hands could translate to the gridiron especially in the passing game.
Unfortunately, he re-aggravated an ankle injury that he suffered during basketball season and he sat out the rest of spring practice leaving WKU fans to wonder if Johnson was seriously about to pursue a football career despite not playing organized football since his sophomore year of high school.
Last Monday, that picture cleared up.
Johnson will now go on a football scholarship, joining five other scholarship TE’s on the roster. He has two seasons of football eligibility to prove himself and show that he can follow George Fant’s footsteps from basketball to the NFL.
Fant’s one season on the WKU football gridiron shows the potential pitfalls and adversity that comes with picking up a new sport at the highest level of collegiate competition. During the 2015 football season, Fant appeared in just two games, mainly played special teams and caught one ball for seven yards.
He was behind many talented and experienced players, such as Tyler Higbee, Tim Gorski, Devin Scott and Shaq Johnson and barely saw the field. He did benefit from being able to sit back and learn about the game and a position switch to left tackle helped him make the massive jump to the NFL, where his athleticism translated better to blocking and protecting pass rushers instead of route running & pass catching.
Johnson’s situation is much different.
WKU has no current proven players at the tight end position. Deon Yelder is more known for his special teams play than his pass catching abilities, and he actually has zero career catches as we enter the 2017 campaign.
Three-star Juco transfer Mik’quan Deane had many high-level offers (including Arizona State, Nebraska, Oregon and Pitt). If he makes the transition to Division 1, he’ll be the front runner for the primary spot. Luckily for Johnson, Mike Sanford regularly utilizes multiple tight end sets and he’ll be in competition with Yelder, Deane and Fourtenbary, along with freshman Steven Witchoskey and Kris Leach for playing time.
2017 could be a bridge year for Johnson on the football field. If he can stay healthy, he can be utilized in certain situations and use the experience to break out in 2018 before the 2019 NFL draft.
Besides Fant, there are many examples of former college basketball players that used their hardwood skills to become premiere pass catchers. Kent State’s Antonio Gates went from undersized power forward (like Johnson) to future Hall of Famer at tight end for the Chargers. Jimmy Graham played mainly basketball at Miami (FL). During his one season on the collegiate gridiron, he had just 17 catches for 213 yards, but did show his potential with five touchdown catches in his one season. He instantly became one of the most dangerous weapons during his early NFL career.
Whether Johnson is as athletic as both of those players listed remains to be seen, but you can’t blame him for chasing a dream that has shown the path is there if everything falls into place.
THE IMPACT ON THE BASKETBALL TEAM
Johnson’s football impact is unknown, but we do know how important he can be for the basketball program that honestly needs him more next season, especially after having a losing season in 2016–17.
By joining the football team, Johnson has put himself behind the eight ball when it comes to assimilating with his brand-new set of basketball teammates.
While 12 newcomers will be participating in individual instruction and gearing up for a team building trip to Costa Rica (along with 10 invaluable practices and three scrimmages), Johnson will be sweating it out on the practice fields learning a whole new sport.
Johnson was looked to be a senior leader in WKU’s starting five to go along with McDonald’s All-American Center Mitchell Robinson, two-time NCAA tournament transfer point guard Lemonte Beardon, four-star Juco shooting guard Jordan Brangers and four-star small forward Josh Anderson (and many talented others).
Now, Stansbury’s squad must wait until late December for its leading returning scorer and rebounder to potentially join the team as a walk-on.
Stansbury won’t have Justin available for many of their most important resume building matchups, including the Battle for Atlantis, Wisconsin and Belmont. Depending on how the football season and early basketball season play out, he may not return to the hardwood and that would be a tough pill to swallow.
Front line players such as Dwight Coleby, Robinson Idehan and Moustapha Diagne will all be looking to establish themselves into the rotation and how Johnson molds into that front line will be fascinating if he makes it back. The potential of Johnson returning does offer a high impact mid-season addition that could be a missing piece between an at-large tournament bid and another required conference tournament championship run.
Let’s all hope that Justin Johnson not only emerges as a quality tight end, but also leads WKU to its first NCAA tournament bid since 2013, cementing his place in Hilltopper basketball history.
However it plays out, Johnson’s 2017–18 WKU athletic will be fascinating to watch.
What do you think about the Justin Johnson saga? Did he make the right move for his long-term future? Will this hurt the basketball team? Let us know in a comment below, via twitter at @TheTowelRackWKU or on our Facebook page.
