Senior outside linebacker Jermaine Johnson feels he made a lot of progress during his first year as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs.
However, once the season was over, it was obvious there was much more he could do.
That could spell bad news for the rest of the SEC.
“I need to be more violent, quite frankly,” Johnson said in a Zoom conference with reporters Monday evening. “I needed to be more violent in my game as a whole. I need my pass rush to be more technical with my movement. In JUCO, my athleticism got me far, but here you learn that technique takes you farther than anything. So I’ve been trying to learn my technique and improve every aspect of my game.”
If that happens, watch out.
Johnson’s first year with the Bulldogs after transferring from Independence Community College in Kansas certainly had its bright spots.
While playing in 14 games, Johnson finished the season with 20 tackles, including 2.5 sacks for losses of 13 yards, combining with Nolan Smith and Azeez Ojulari to become one of the best outside linebacker trios in the SEC.
But the word "satisfied" is not in Johnson’s vocabulary, and shortly after the team returned from New Orleans and its Sugar Bowl win over Baylor, he set out to make sure his 2020 campaign would be one to remember.
“Personally, I was very determined,” Johnson said. “I think I put my best on the field last year, personally, so I was really excited to come into the spring, prove some things, and work hard.”
However, Covid-19 changed all that.
Instead of training with his teammates, Johnson was back home in Minnesota, where, like many, he was relegated to finding new ways to train. Johnson said he did the best he could.
“My dad had purchased some weights and some other things that we had in our garage,” Johnson said. “I was keeping my head down, calling Coach (Scott) Sinclair for some other things I could do just to get better, in terms of some speed stuff, because at the end of the day, I can’t just be lifting weights.
“I tried to bounce things off all my coaches as far as what I could do better since I wasn’t there. But I was really focused on not falling behind, because I know it's easy for some guys to have that happen."
That didn't happen to Johnson, who has been drawing raves from teammates for over a year.
Former Bulldog right tackle Isaiah Wilson told reporters last season that he was already seeing great signs from Johnson. Head coach Kirby Smart even referred to Johnson making “Superman” plays in some cases.
Wilson explained.
“He long-armed me a couple of times,” Wilson told reporters in an interview last year. “I have to get my hands right with him. He’s super strong.”
With the season just three weeks away, Johnson is ready to end his Bulldog career with a bang, noting he believes Georgia’s outside linebacker room could be in for a special year this fall.
He’s ready to do his part to make sure that happens.
“I just try to ask my coaches what I can do better every single day in practice, and try to be whatever I can for my team, whether that is on special teams, or whatever,” he said. “Everyone has attributes; it just comes down to technique and will, how much passion you have for the game, and how much will you want to give to the program.”
