Jac’Quarious Johnson, known as JQ, broke out as a freshman playing varsity. It turns out his very first year was just a warm-up for him. 

“I initially struggled with anxiety and feeling the pressure of filling a big role on the field,” he said. “However I learned to cope with it by trusting my teammates and relying on their support.” 

During his freshman year, he looked up to senior Justin Marshall, “taking advice from him, trying to copy his game style, and also put into the work ethic over the summer to be better than last year.”

As Johnson goes into his sophomore year, he’s a big part of the offense.

 “He’s got over 550 yards rushing through five games. He still has a lot to improve on but he’s definitely one of our biggest contributors on offense,” Head Coach Brad Seiss said last week.

A big part of Johnson’s role includes working with the new quarterback, Senior Dontae Pope.

 “We have our ups and downs,” Johnson said. “We know when it’s time to lock in and put the game away and we can laugh after. Pope is a naturally gifted QB with speed and he has an arm.”

Pope has similar compliments for Johnson. 

“It’s great working with JQ; he’s like that goofy little brother I’ve never had,” he said. “I feel like we have similar personalities, which helps a lot. There’s never a moment where we are not joking or smiling no matter the situation.”

JQ has put up big numbers. He knows he has to put in the work to succeed.

“I just had to put the work ethic in, like over the summer I worked my butt off,” Johnson said. “All my teammates helped me to be where I am today, I just worked on and off the field to try to perform and help me and my team get better.”