Jason Johnson Jr. (born June 1, 2001)[1] is an American professional football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Eastern Illinois and UCF.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | June 1, 2001[1] Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Rich Central (Olympia Fields, Illinois) |
| College: | Eastern Illinois (2019–2021) UCF (2022–2023) |
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Undrafted: | 2024 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Early life and high school
editJohnson attended high school at Rich Central. Coming out of high school, Johnson decided to commit to play college football for the Eastern Illinois Panthers.[2][3]
College career
editEastern Illinois
editIn the 2021 season, Johnson would lead the Ohio Valley Conference in tackles with 112.[4] Johnson finished his career at Eastern Illinois with 235 tackles and two and a half sacks.[5]
UCF
editJohnson decided to transfer to play for the UCF Knights to continue his collegiate football career.[6][7] In week two of the 2022 season, Johnson tallied 12 tackles in a 20-14 loss versus Louisville.[8] Johnson finished the 2022 season with 126 tackles with four being for a loss, one sack, two fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles.[9] For his performance in the 2022 season, Johnson earned first-team all-American honors.[10] Johnson decided to return to UCF for the 2023 season as a fifth-year senior.[11] In week 12 of the 2023 season, Johnson notched six tackles, a sack, and he deflected a pass that was intercepted, as he helped UCF dominate Oklahoma State 45-3.[12] In Johnson's final season in 2023 he tallied 114 tackles with six and a half going for a loss, three sacks, two pass deflections, and a fumble recovery.[13] Johnson was invited to play in the 2024 Hula Bowl, in which he was named the game's Defensive MVP.[14][15]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
228 lb (103 kg) |
31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m) |
8+3⁄4 in (0.22 m) |
4.66 s | 1.62 s | 2.67 s | 4.51 s | 7.38 s | 29 in (0.74 m) |
9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) |
18 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[16][17] | ||||||||||||
Johnson signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent on May 8, 2024.[18] He was waived on August 26.[19]
References
edit- ^ a b "Jason Johnson". ourlads.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Tim, Edgy (January 24, 2019). "Eastern Illinois adds three Chicagoland names to its Class of 2019". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "Jason Johnson". On3.com. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Helwig, Brandon (March 20, 2022). "UCF lands All-American LB Jason Johnson: 'This is where I wanted to be'". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "Jason Johnson". The Football Database. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Brian (March 20, 2022). "FCS All-American Linebacker Jason Johnson Transferring to UCF". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Beede, Jason (March 21, 2022). "UCF adds experienced FCS linebacker from transfer portal". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Beede, Jason (September 15, 2022). "Transfer LB Jason Johnson sees early success at UCF". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "Jason Johnson 2022 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Beede, Jason (December 27, 2022). "Key decision awaits UCF senior linebacker Jason Johnson". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Beede, Jason (December 31, 2022). "UCF's Jason Johnson, Ricky Barber to return for 2023 season". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Layberger, Tom. "UCF's Jason Johnson Winding Down Accomplished Playing, Academic Career". Forbes. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "Jason Johnson 2023 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Hays, Chris (January 12, 2024). "Four UCF players set for Hula Bowl at Bounce House". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Hays, Chris (January 13, 2024). "UCF's Lokahi Pauole completes excellent adventure from Hawaii to Orlando to Hula". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "Jason Johnson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Jason Johnson College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Harris, Nick (May 8, 2024). "12 undrafted free agents expected for rookie camp". DallasCowboys.com.
- ^ "Fehoko, Harvey among first wave of roster cuts". dallascowboys.com. Retrieved August 27, 2024.