BOWLING GREEN — Malcolm Johnson, Jr., and R.J. Garcia II are walking into a pretty good situation on Bowling Green State University’s football team.
But even with the experience of playing at the power conference level, the recent transfer wideouts know they’re going to have to work their way onto the field for the Falcons.
“I think what’s awesome about [BGSU] coach [Scot] Loeffler is everything is earned. He’s not giving anything to me, anything to R.J., anything to anybody,” Johnson said. “We have to put in the work each and every day and hold ourselves accountable in order to get into those roles.”
After losing their top three wide receivers from the 2023 campaign in Odieu Hiliare, Austin Osborne, and Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim — each of whom also transferred into BGSU — the Falcons are hoping Johnson and Garcia are next in line in terms of impactful players from the portal. Garcia, a 6-foot, 175-pound junior, appeared in 29 games at Kansas State the previous three seasons, while Johnson, a 6-1, 195-pound senior, played in 29 games at Auburn the past four years.
Although neither player has gaudy career stats in college — Garcia has 22 catches for 260 yards and two touchdowns while Johnson has 14 catches for 199 yards and a score — they certainly bring plenty of elements to the Falcons’ offense. The duo also took plenty of reps at BGSU’s first spring practice on Thursday that was open to the media.
“They’ve both got great speed. They’ve both got a very natural mix,” Loeffler said. “Smart guys that can understand and learn the offense.”
When asked about the reasons why they wanted to transfer to BGSU, a common theme was mentioned between Johnson and Garcia.
The coaching staff, specifically Loeffler.
Garcia said Loeffler had recruited him since he was 16 and that he has known BGSU quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Max Warner for a “really long time.” Loeffler was pretty relentless with keeping in contact with Garcia when the latter was playing at Berkeley Prep in Tampa, and when Garcia entered the transfer portal Loeffler and Warner were the first people to call him.
“I was a COVID class kid, so I never had an official visit anywhere. So he was zooming my parents, calling my mom, calling my dad,” Garcia said. “We kind of thought he was a little bit crazy, just how much he called us. But he’s a good guy, man.
“Utmost respect for him and how he’s taking care of me and my family. He’s a great person to play for. … He’s just somebody that you want to stick your neck out there and play for them. He just cares so, so much about you.”
Meanwhile, Johnson said Loeffler’s competitiveness and what he wants to build with the BGSU program stood out to him.
“He called me when I was in the portal, and he was saying some really good things as far as just where he wants to go with this program,” Johnson said. “He’s all about winning, and I’m all about winning as well.
“He’s a competitor, and I can tell, so we align with that aspect. He’s a competitor, and I really appreciate that about him.”
Spring practice will be spent getting the recent transfers and early freshmen enrollees up to speed with expectations, learning the playbook, and building chemistry with other players. It might be tricky for Johnson and Garcia in the early going with redshirt freshman quarterback Lucian Anderson III being the only healthy quarterback; BGSU’s top two signal callers, Connor Bazelak and Camden Orth, are sidelined until the summer while recovering from injuries.
“That’s going to be something that’ll come once I get back throwing and everything,” said Bazelak, who is recovering from knee surgery in early January. “I’m not too worried about it, they look really good. Excited to have them, and I think it should be an easy transition to get the timing back with them.”
The wideouts aren’t worried, either.
“I think Connor, just him being in the background after a play, he comes and talks to me as well to see what I could’ve done better,” Johnson said. “So he’s still part of the offense. He’s out there during practice and things like that, but I think the transition will be smooth. We’re just going to have to put in a lot of work when he comes back. But I believe in him and his abilities.”
Added Garcia: “He’s a really smart guy. Just getting in the film room with him, kind of just seeing what he sees. … Being new here and we only have one quarterback passing right now, so it’s kind of getting a feel for all of them. So you’ve just got to get in the film room, see how he sees things, and then that’s how you’re going to be successful.”
First Published March 4, 2024, 9:58 p.m.
