STANDING TALL: Jax State's 6-foot-8 Johnson rises above as an impact pass-catcher
JACKSONVILLE — Who can blame Jacksonville State 's Deondre Johnson for watching game highlights the whole way home from the Gamecocks ’ game last week at Middle Tennessee ?
A 6-foot-8 redshirt sophomore, Johnson enjoyed his biggest game at Jax State since arriving on campus during the off-season. He caught four passes for 131 yards and his first two touchdowns of the season. He had five catches the rest of the year combined.
Johnson’s phone especially got a workout replaying his 30-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, which put the Gamecocks ahead 17-14. Officials originally ruled he hadn't gotten a foot down in the end zone before going out of bounds. The replay official saw that Johnson indeed got his foot down in time and awarded him the touchdown.
"I watched it over 200 times," Johnson said with a grin. "I mean, the bus drive was like three hours, so I watched it the whole night."
Johnson said he knew when he caught it that he was inbounds.
"You can obviously see in the video, when I looked at the referee, he said I was out of bounds. I was actually frustrated. I slapped the ground because I was like, 'Hey, I needed that one.' But, when we were in the huddle and they came to me and told me that I completed it, it was like, 'Shoot, I know. I knew I made it.'"
His other touchdown came on a 56-yard pass from former Rutgers teammate Gavin Wimsatt . Johnson found himself wide open behind the Middle Tennessee defense, and Wimsatt hit him perfectly, allowing Johnson to sprint untouched into the end zone.
This was the production Jax State fans were hoping to see when Johnson signed with the Gamecocks. He transferred to Jax State after spending two seasons at Rutgers, which is only about a 90-minute drive from his home in Newburgh, N.Y. However, he played in only one game as a freshman in 2023 and then sat out 2024 as a redshirt.
He had the 6-foot-8 frame, the long arms and the large hands, but needed experience.
"I think a lot of times, including myself, we see a young man with his size and his athletic ability, and we think, 'Boy, it all just ought to happen right now.' But guess what? He's a young man too. So, there's a process that he has to go through to develop and mature. And we talked about that, and he's taken that challenge on," said Jax State coach Charles Kelly, who told Johnson after the game in the locker room in front of the team that he was proud of him.
Johnson said he was willing to wait for his time to come.
"Well, yeah, it was a slow start, but like my parents tell me, patience is key," he said. "I had the opportunity, and some I didn't make. But when this opportunity came, I just had to make sure I was there to stand to the plate and continue to do what I can do."
Johnson nearly didn't come to Jacksonville State. The tide turned when Wimsatt had scheduled a recruiting visit to campus.
"When I found out Gavin was coming here on a visit, it helped me," Johnson said. "First of all, I wasn't good with leaving home 15 hours from home. But, if I can come out here with somebody that I know, they can help me get situated."
Johnson also made a quick connection with Lawrence Dawsey, the Gamecocks’ receivers coach. A former NFL receiver, Dawsey has served as an assistant coach at LSU , South Florida , Florida State, Texas A&M and Appalachian State.
"He was almost one of the main reasons why I did come here, because he reminded me so much of my high school coach, and my high school coach is the one who brought out all the confidence in me," Johnson said. "So, with Coach Dawsey, just talking to him, and just listening to how he coached and the way we talked, it was just like I could find my confidence here."
Now, Kelly is challenging Johnson to continue playing like he did against Middle Tennessee and "take the next step."
"When we recruited him, honestly, that's what I envisioned him being," Kelly said. "When you put him out there and somebody gives him one-on-one coverage, he should win that one-on-one coverage majority of the time. That's something that he's worked very hard to get better at every week."
