Johnson looks to continue building on promising season debut

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – How Juwan Johnson ended up at Penn State surprised even those closest to the Nittany Lion wide receiver.

Johnson's brother, George Jr., was a standout defensive lineman at Rutgers and spent seven seasons in the NFL. The recruiting process wasn't new to the family and neither were the promises coaches tried to sell. While seven years separate the two brothers, the one thing about both their recruitments needed to ring true: They had to be comfortable.

"Honestly, I thought he was going to go like a southern state," Johnson's mom, Ida, told DKPittsburghSports.com. "But Juwan went to Penn State, went up there and he fell in love with it. I was at church and he came home and he said, 'Mom, I love it. I’m gonna commit.' I said, ‘Is this what you want?’ He said, ‘Mom, I feel comfortable here.’ Anytime he feels comfortable, I’m comfortable."



Luckily for Penn State, the redshirt sophomore whose offseason hype started to play out with a four catch, 84-yard performance in the Lions’ season opener, is now more settled in than ever. The 6-foot-4, 226-pound receiver said that comfort level was fueled by his need to establish a routine, one where school, training and dissecting the offense all had to mesh. His brother George, who continues to be one of Juwan's best resources, helped him establish his routine.

“I also just made working hard a priority — catching a lot more than anybody else or working out more than anybody else," Johnson said this week. "Just trying to outwork any and everybody to get where I’m at, or where I want to be.”

For as much as those inside the program talked about Johnson’s breakout potential leading up to this season, the praise didn’t change the former four-star prospect's outlook. That was just "Juwan being Juwan" as his mom put it.

She saw all of this before with her youngest of three boys, the one who tagged along to Rutgers games to watch George, while their oldest sibling, Darreus, who is 14 years older than Juwan, encouraged his not-so-little brother to continue stepping up. The brothers supported Juwan since he first stepped on the football field at 5 years old. It's a close bond between the brothers that Ida said even she doesn't completely understand because of the age differences between her boys.

This is the same Juwan who, when his college recruitment heated up and school's vied for the four-star prospect, Ida waited to see how all the attention would change her son. She's thankful it never did.

“The big head never happened with him,” Ida said. "I thought that was going to happen too because I think he went a little further than his brother, but no, he still stays humble because he loves the game. As long as he gets a chance to play, he’s fine.”

That chance was one that came after the usual trying redshirt season after Johnson's arrival on campus. Like many freshmen who arrive with aspirations of playing right away, taking a backseat to the team's veterans took some getting used to for the former Glassboro (N.J.) High School standout. After a few phone calls home to mom -- and yes, the two still talk just about every night -- eventually he came around to taking the redshirt.

"I told Juwan, 'When it’s your time, it’s your time,' " Ida said. "I told him you always have to be a team player and the goal is to win. There’s always somebody better than you, but you always have to play as a team."

That message was received loud and clear and might also help explain Johnson’s blunt assessment of the Lions’ deep receiving corps when asked this week who is the team’s top wideout.

In an offense where the ball will continue to be spread around the receiving corps, tight end Mike Gesicki, Heisman Trophy contender Saquon Barkley and quarterback Trace McSorley, it’s a pick your poison type of group. There was no baiting Johnson into talking about himself, that’s for sure.

“We’re all the No. 1 receiver on the team,” Johnson said with a laugh. “We all try to make a play, when we get a chance. I’m not really going to say that there’s a leading receiver. We’re all dependable.”

For Penn State's offense to continue trending upward at a back-breaking pace it'll need Johnson to continue building off his season-opening performance. James Franklin said Johnson, who was "very mature" from the day he arrived on campus, doesn't shy away from tapping into all the resources he has. From his brother, to Tampa Bay rookie Chris Godwin, whose spot as the X-receiver is the one Johnson continues to fill, to position coach Josh Gattis, there isn't a stone left unturned.

"Juwan's a guy that's going to try to ask a lot of questions," Franklin said. "He's going to try to grow and mature in as many areas as he possibly can. He's a guy who understands what his strength and what his weaknesses are and he wants to work on them."