TAMPA ― Kameron Johnson didn’t trust his ears when he heard the play call that had crackled through the coach’s headphones and was being relayed in the huddle.
Barton College, an NCAA Division II school in Wilson, North Carolina, hadn’t had a football program since 1950, when it was known as Atlantic Christian College.
But on the first play of the Bulldogs’ first game back in 2021, against Erskine, Johnson lined up as a freshman receiver, took a handoff on a reverse and threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Tyler Flippen.
“In my heart I was like, ‘No way he’s calling that play on the first play,’” Johnson said. “And my heart was just pounding and I was like, “Man, just don’t mess it up. He’s going to be wide open. Just give him a little good ball, and he’ll do the rest.’ And sure enough, I got the end around, threw it to my quarterback and he did the rest. And after that, I thought, ‘This college thing will work.’”
It worked so well for Johnson, who had 51 catches for 879 yards and seven touchdowns last season, that he became the first Barton player to sign with an NFL team when he agreed to a one-year contract with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent.
Johnson was a 5-foot-6, 140-pound quarterback when he graduated from Northern Nash High in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. His remarkable transformation will continue Friday night in Tampa, when he is expected to play in his first NFL preseason game against the Dolphins.
Johnson has been nursing a rib injury suffered during an indoor practice a few weeks ago.
“When I dove for the ball, I just caught a knee to the ribs,” Johnson said. “I finished practice, finished through and made some plays after that. People couldn’t tell I was hurt, so I must have played pretty well.”
In fact, Johnson has played so well the Bucs not…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/inside-kameron-johnson-leap-division-235400070.html
Author : Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Publish date : 2024-08-19 23:54:00
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