MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — The first time Larry Black saw Desjuan Johnson on a football field was through a computer screen.
The Toledo defensive line coach was watching one of Johnson’s highlight tapes and was transfixed by the defensive end’s ability to go through opposing linemen left and right, and left and right, and left and right. It was as if the film was on repeat mode.
“He wasn’t near as big and as thick as he is now. He was a skinny little guy,” Black said, laughing. “But he had some quickness to his feet and some natural ability.”
Speed helps explain why Johnson has plagued opponents for three-plus seasons and turned his senior campaign into a greatest hits tape for NFL scouts and general managers. Through seven games, Johnson has 40 tackles, including seven tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. (He had seven tackles at Central Michigan on Saturday.)
The seven tackles for loss place him 28th nationally and tied for first in the Mid-American Conference. And Johnson has done it despite missing one full games — the first halves at Notre Dame and Ball State due to targeting penalties.
“When I look at it, I think, just imagine if I had played [seven] full games,” said Johnson, who still managed a combined 10 tackles, including three tackles for loss, one sack, and a forced fumble against the Irish and Cardinals.
This season isn’t a coming-out party for the Detroit native. Johnson’s been a nuisance in the MAC since he had 17 tackles as a freshman. The numbers steadily improved the next two seasons — 32 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and five quarterback hurries as a sophomore and 27 tackles, a team-high seven tackles for loss, and three sacks that earned him second-team All-MAC honors during his six-game junior season.
You could find Johnson’s name plastered in preseason magazines and national award watch lists all summer. The Bednarik Award and Nagurski Trophy, each given annually to the nation’s best defensive player, included Johnson among their players to watch.
“When I first heard about it, I didn’t even know about it,” he said. “I just come to play the game and do what I do. When I heard the news, I understood this could be a big change and more people could be looking at me. But I still take the same approach. I just try to go harder than anyone else on the field.
“It’s an accomplishment to be named with the guys going to the bigger schools, but I still have to come in and put in the work. I didn’t let it phase me. Now that I have people’s attention, I need to go even harder than I was before.”
The recognition has been obvious — in the form of double teams. Johnson has continued to make plays even while outmanned, and the UT’s defense has benefitted because fellow defensive linemen have a clearer path to the backfield.
As a team, the Rockets rank 12th nationally in tackles for loss (45) and sixth with seven fumble recoveries.
“He’s shown an ability to get in the backfield and be a disruptor since Day 1,” Black said. “He has a knack for it. Some guys have that ability to find the ball and be one step ahead of the offensive line. With a guy with that athletic ability, you’re a football player.”
Black refers to Johnson as the motor of the defensive line, the person in practice that Black urges players to raise their level to. No. 99’s effort is unquestioned and a tone-setter.
“It’s contagious to me as a coach,” Black said.
If you listen to the simplistic explanation from Johnson on how he’s able to enter the backfield unabated, his success is uncomplicated and his energy-giving is understandable.
“I just go harder than the guys in front of me,” Johnson said. “On that one play they take off, it opens up for me. As soon as they slip once, I’m in the backfield.”
First Published October 17, 2021, 2:15 a.m.
