Johnsons show fiber in adversity
Posted on Friday, November 2, 2007
FAYETTEVILLE — It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way for either of the Johnson brothers.
Robert was the high school star, the toast of Waco, Texas, and one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation. Rashaad was a good high school player with “Robert’s little brother” almost permanently attached to his name, but with none of his older brother’s college prospects.
Robert seemed destined to be a star college quarterback with his athleticism, leadership and personal magnetism. He looked and carried himself as a quarterback, said Arkansas assistant coach Chris Vaughn when he first saw Johnson five years ago in high school.
Lightly recruited out of high school, Rashaad could have gone to a small school and played in near-anonymity. He chose to take a long-shot, walk-on flier and play with his brother at Arkansas.
Neither of their careers has gone according to script.
Robert Johnson, a fifth-year senior, hasn’t become a star at Arkansas. He spent a year on the scout team and another backing up Matt Jones before becoming the full-time starter in 2005.
He lasted seven games before losing his job to Casey Dick. He started the first game of the next season against Southern California and then fell off the quarterback depth chart and landed at receiver.
Rashaad Johnson, a third-year sophomore, followed his brother to Arkansas despite no promises of a scholarship, playing time or even a position.
He grinded his way through scout-team grunt work, then saw limited action as a safety during his second year before earning a scholarship this year, a year highlighted by a two-interception game against Florida International last week.
“When things go bad, you realize what you’re made of and what everybody else is made of,” said Rashaad, now the team’s second-string free safety. “You find out who has heart and is willing to fight for what you believe in.”
That could be the Johnson family motto.
“Things don’t always go your way, but you fight through and things will work out,” said Angela Johnson, the players’ mother. “That’s what I’ve always taught them because my mom instilled that in me.”
The Johnson brothers have a fan in Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt, who has admired the way each has handled his college football career.
“That’s what you love about the Johnson brothers, how they constantly fight to go to work,” Nutt said. “There are peaks and valleys, and you’re going to be a better football player, a better person in life. They both have great character. You’re going to be successful if you take that philosophy.”
It has been tougher on Robert, the former high school star and now receiver on a run-dominated team. He has 6 catches for 89 yards and 1 touchdown this season and missed last week’s game with a sprained ankle.
Prayer and mom’s advice helped Robert when his football life spiraled badly last year. He handled his demotion and position change with maturity and earned the “Paul Eells Award” from the Little Rock Touchdown Club for his dedication to the team.
“She always said, ‘Don’t whine. Don’t quit,’” Robert said of his mother. “You never start something and don’t finish. Always keep pushing because you never know how it is going to turn out in the end.”
Rashaad said he was proud watching his older brother handle his adversity.
“He has character and, more importantly, he wasn’t selfish,” Rashaad said. “A selfish person would have asked for a transfer or something. He stuck in there for his team. He showed it wasn’t just about himself, it was about the team.”
Rashaad picked Arkansas in large part because the brothers had always dreamed of playing college football together. Angela Johnson said Rashaad never had a doubt of what he could accomplish with the Razorbacks.
“Whatever he decides to do, he’s going to do it,” Angela Johnson said. “He told me, ‘I’m going to go to Arkansas and I’m going to get a scholarship.’ And that’s exactly what he did.”
Robert said it’s rewarding to see his younger brother take advantage of the chances he has earned. Few outside the Johnson family might have expected it.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Robert said. “God puts you in these situations to see how you come out in the end.”
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