Issue date: 6/10/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jon Eilts [Click to enlarge]

(Original publication: Nov. 25, 2008)

He is the future of Texas A&M football. For a school that prides itself on its gridiron tactics, the Aggies haven't won a national championship in 70 years and haven't won a conference title in 10 years. It's been pinned on Jerrod Johnson to bring A&M back to greatness. With a new coach, an unfamiliar, pass-heavy offense and more than 80,000 people screaming for victory every home game at Kyle Field, the pressure can be overwhelming.

It's nothing compared to the pressure Jerrod and his family were under in December 2007.

Larry Johnson, the father of Marquis and Jerrod and husband to Pamela, died from an unexpected stroke while at home with his family.

"It was definitely a tragic death," Marquis said. "It was surreal. He was at home with all of us, and he was talking on the phone with someone, and he fell right there, still on the phone. I remember going to get something to eat and then getting a phone call from my mom. It was surreal."

Larry played football at A&M from 1978 to 1980. He was a defensive back, a wide receiver and the biggest influence in Marquis and Jerrod's lives.

He put balls in their cribs when they were babies. He taught them right from wrong and how to love Jesus. He gave them tough love about their schoolwork and when he coached them in sports. Marquis said he pushed them to be great from the minute they left the womb. For Jerrod, he was a center of strength.

"I was very close to him. He was pretty much my motivation for everything I do," Jerrod said. "It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Forever he had been my backbone, supporting me through everything I've been through. Everything. He'd done it all and seen it all."

The loss was devastating for the family, and was equally devastating to the people Larry knew. He was a principal, teacher and coach at Humble High School near Houston, and word of his death brought many together to mourn the loss of the Johnsons. He was a community leader who put God and people first, and he had a passion for helping others.

Jerrod and Marquis gave the eulogy.

"It was actually one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life," Jerrod said.

"Over 2,500 people showed up at the church, all the Houston TV stations covered it. A bunch of my dad's former players that he coached showed up, some NFL guys and a bunch of A&M guys. It was really amazing and a really cool moment. It really brought closure to the situation with my dad.

"I'll never forget what he said. 'God gave you a talent, so use it. Keep praying, keep grinding and never abuse it,'" Marquis said. "God basically blessed my dad with a talent of helping people. He always worked at it and never abused it."

Man of many talents

"Sarcastic. Smart. Leader. Charismatic."

The four words Marquis used to describe his younger brother.

Marquis Johnson, three years older than Jerrod, said that when they were children, Jerrod liked to play with Marquis and his friends. It forced Jerrod to step up his game. If he couldn't hang, he couldn't play, Marquis said.

"We were really competitive," Marquis said. "Me and a bunch of my friends growing up, we were pretty hard on him. Playing basketball with us made him more physical, more tough, really able to handle all situations."

Marquis, now a strength and conditioning coach at Eastern Michigan University, played tight end for four years at Prairie View A&M. Marquis said he tried to be a positive influence on Jerrod, especially through his actions, and that he and Jerrod acquired leadership skills from their dad. He said messing up at home was dealt with as harshly as messing up on the field.

"He was a leader, and he taught me and Jerrod how to lead the right way," Marquis said. "Certain things weren't accepted in our house or on the field, and it's the same way in life."

Jerrod and Marquis describe themselves as complete opposites, but one thing they share are the memories of their father. They said the profound things he told them when they were younger took on a different meaning as they grew older, and although they miss him, they cherish the wisdom he imparted.

"It really makes you remember everything he said, stuff me and my brother didn't think about at first," Jerrod said. "Now you look back and say, 'Wow, he really knew a lot.' All the things he taught us really made us who we are today, all the virtues he instilled in us."

Jerrod said he owes everything in his life to his parents, and that they were a huge positive influence on him growing up.

Jerrod usually sings and listens to hip-hop and R&B songs like "I Believe I Can Fly" on Saturdays to get pumped for a game, and loves to sing praises to God on Sundays. Jerrod is Roman Catholic and goes to St. Thomas Aquinas in College Station.

Since his youth, he has loved to sing, and has been told he has a skilled voice. It is something his older brother, Marquis, gave him a hard time about while growing up.

"Me and my buddies give him a hard time about that because he sings all the time," Marquis laughed. "In mom's car, dad's car, he would listen to R&B and sing it all the time."

Jerrod started beating Marquis in basketball when he reached 6 feet 4 inches. Marquis, a couple of inches shorter than his brother, found it hard to compete against him from that point on, a difficult reality for an older brother.

"Oh yeah, I used to score on him, beat him bad, send him home crying," Marquis laughed. "But eventually he caught up with me and I remember this one time he beat me really bad. I can't beat him in basketball anymore."

Jerrod will go to his first A&M football game of the 2008 season on Thanksgiving when A&M plays rival Texas. He said it is something he has been looking forward to all year.

"I talked to him every day, at least once or twice a day," Marquis said. "I keep up with him as much as possible and I've been catching him up on TV lately, so it's pretty cool."

A gentle hand

Pamela Johnson, Jerrod's mother, likes to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible. While Larry delivered the tough love, Pamela applied a gentle hand to Jerrod and Marquis.

"I actually think I'm closer to my mom than I was to my dad," Jerrod said. "My mom was always good support and a counter to my dad."

Pamela, a track coach and cosmetology teacher at North Forest High School in Houston, Texas, wanted Jerrod to stick to basketball or baseball because of the physical nature of football. She wears the A&M jersey to the home games at Kyle Field, but rarely reacts because she is so nervous for Jerrod.

"She's paranoid the whole time," Jerrod said. "To this day, she says, 'Why can't you just slide or throw the ball away?' I have to tell her that it's football. She's still a mom."

Jerrod likes to write the word "superstar" on his belongings. He does that because Pamela called him her superstar when he was a boy.

"He's just a quiet, kind boy," she said.

Coming to A&M

"People try to make fun of A&M, say it's a cult, so I get all the jokes from all my friends," Jerrod said. "But I like it a lot here. You can't knock it because you can't understand it. And you can't understand it unless you're part of it."

Jerrod said he knew what to expect at A&M, but it was still a difficult transition from high school. Larry helped him through the transition because he had been through the same thing.

Larry wanted Jerrod to go to A&M, even though he never told him. When Jerrod was being recruited, his father told him to go wherever he wanted, but Jerrod learned later that when Larry was with his friends, he rooted for Jerrod to go to Aggieland. Jerrod said it was not a hard choice.

"At the end of the day, when football is going bad, you want to be someplace you like," Jerrod said. "I came to come to A&M. It's one of those tough times now."

Beyond being an Aggie, Jerrod gets his fair share of ridicule for being a kinesiology major. He said his classes are tough, especially anatomy classes, which he attends with students who want to be physical therapists and doctors.

"Classes are tough, but that's what makes A&M what it is," he said. "If everyone got in, it wouldn't be special."

Making dad proud

Jerrod wants to win championships, play in the NFL and be a great football player. But then he thinks about what kind of a man his father was, and it inspires him to be an even better person.

"I want to be a part of something special," he said. "I want people to look back at my time here and say, 'He and his teammates were something special.' I want to win a championship. I want to have a Big 12 championship. More than a football player, I want people to remember me as a good guy and a good Aggie. I think we're different among other college athletes as Aggies, and I just want people to know."

This season brought some unexpected twists and turns to Jerrod's football life. He was expecting to back up senior Stephen McGee this year and move in as the starter for his junior year. Jerrod has become good friends with McGee and admires his demeanor and encyclopedic football knowledge. Jerrod said he was sad for McGee when he went down early in the year with a shoulder injury, but was excited for the chance to be in the spotlight.

"It's been an amazing opportunity amid a very unfortunate situation," Jerrod said. "But I can honestly say I was ready. Because the coaches prepare you and they always tell you: 'Be ready.' I figured I did a good job of that, being prepared so I wouldn't be a deer in the headlights."

Jerrod threw three touchdowns and no interceptions against New Mexico in his first test as the No. 1 quarterback. He said he always tries to exude confidence when he approaches his team. Head Coach Mike Sherman raved about his football ability, but said he has a long way to go and that his leadership will help him through tough times.

"This is a real neat kid," Sherman said. "What a talent, but he also brings a lot to the table from a personality standpoint."

"When you're the quarterback, you've got to be the leader," Jerrod said. "When you get in the huddle, guys can sense when you're nervous. So when I go in there, I try to hold my composure and make them feed off that."

He has built a close relationship with the other quarterbacks, particularly Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill, who doubles as a wide receiver, has become Jerrod's favorite target and one of the most prolific freshmen receivers in A&M history.

"Me and Ryan are close," he said. "We're really close because we're all quarterbacks, all of us are a really tight-knit group. Me and Jeff Fuller, too. I'm pretty good friends with most of the guys."

Jerrod knows he and the team have struggled in 2008, but the frustration has made him hungry.

"I'm actually really excited about the future," he said. "I like the challenge that it brings. I don't really feel pressure from that. When you sign the scholarship, you know what you're getting yourself into. One of the most frustrating things is seeing all the talent, and knowing that it's there, and feeling so close, but not making it happen. I think that's going to change, for sure."

Jerrod lives and plays every day with his dad in mind. He wears two bands on his wrist all the time. One is a maroon band that states, "The Spirit of Aggieland." The other is a white band that states, "His Legacy Lives On."

"He's one of my greatest motivations."

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