FL, 6-2, 209

SR-3L

Waco, Texas

(Waco)

OUTLOOK: Johnson endured a topsy-turvy junior season that began with a start at quarterback against No. 6 USC and ended with a career-best effort as a wide receiver against No. 7 Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl. In between, Johnson changed positions and suffered an injury, yet always displayed the unselfish attitude and dedication to the team that won him the inaugural Paul Eells Award as presented by the Little Rock Touchdown Club. The award given in honor of the late “Voice of the Razorbacks” was presented by Vickie Eells, the widow of the beloved broadcaster in an emotional ceremony in Little Rock in December. He is a leader for the Razorbacks both on and off the field. The former quarterback has adapted to his new position and is atop the depth chart at flanker with London Crawford heading into pre-season camp.

2006: He opened the season as the Razorbacks’ starting quarterback and he ended the campaign with a standout game against a top-10 opponent at wide receiver. It was an up and down year for Johnson as he was replaced as the starting quarterback after only one game and moved to wide receiver. He finished the season with six receptions for 96 yards, including a break-out four-catch performance against No. 7 Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl. He completed 12-of-27 passes for 110 yards on the season. He also threw two interceptions and rushed four times for minus-4 yards and one touchdown. He appeared in 11 of the Razorbacks’ 14 games, missing the Auburn, South Carolina and Tennessee games. – Johnson earned the starting quarterback job in the fall and made the start against USC in the season opener. He completed 12-of-25 passes for 110 yards against the Trojans. He was intercepted twice in the loss. He rushed four times against USC and earned his first career rushing touchdown on a one-yard run in the second quarter. Following the USC game, Johnson moved to flanker. He saw limited snaps in his wide receiver debut against Utah State. He earned time at flanker in the SEC opener at Vanderbilt. Johnson didn’t have a catch against the Commodores. He also saw time against No. 22 Alabama. Following the Alabama game (Sept. 26), he underwent surgery on his right knee to clear loose cartilage. He traveled, but did not dress in the Hogs’ trip to No. 2 Auburn while recovering from surgery. Johnson returned to the field in the Hogs’ win over Southeast Missouri State. He snared a 22-yard pass from Casey Dick to earn a first down for the Razorbacks. He also attempted a pass on a trick play against the Redhawks, but the ball fell short of Marcus Monk. Johnson was utilized at wide receiver, but didn’t make a reception in the Razorbacks’ 38-3 win over Ole Miss. He lined up at wide receiver in the second half of the Razorbacks’ 44-10 win over Louisiana-Monroe. He didn’t make a catch against the Warhawks. He didn’t see snaps in the Razorbacks’ 26-20 win at South Carolina. Johnson didn’t appear in Arkansas’ 31-14 victory over No. 13 Tennessee. He saw extensive snaps in the Hogs’ wide receiver package at Mississippi State. He didn’t make a catch against the Bulldogs. In a role reversal, the former UA quarterback caught a pass from tailback Darren McFadden for 28 yards on the Hogs’ opening drive against No. 9 LSU. The play netted a first down and set Arkansas up on the LSU five-yard line. The Razorbacks scored three plays later to take an early lead. Johnson also attempted a pass against the Tigers on a reverse pass. The ball was intended for tight end Ben Cleveland, but fell incomplete. Johnson was in the Hogs’ wide receiver rotation in the SEC Championship Game. He didn’t make a catch in the loss to the Gators. Johnson posted the best game of his young receiving career with four receptions for 46 yards in Arkansas’ Capital One Bowl match-up with No. 7 Wisconsin. He led the Razorbacks in receptions in the bowl game. All four of his catches against the Badgers netted first downs.

2005: He was Arkansas’ starting quarterback for the first seven games of the season before relinquishing his first-team position to true freshman Casey Dick. He played in a total of eight games with one appearance coming off the bench. He completed 89-of-158 pass attempts for a .563 completion percentage. He led the Razorbacks in completions (89), attempts (158) and passing yards (876). He threw for five touchdowns and was intercepted six times. He had 37 rushing attempts for a total of 92 rushing yards. He also caught one of his own deflected passes for a no gain. He passed for 100 or more yards four times in eight games including a three-game stretch against Louisiana-Monroe, Auburn and Georgia. – He made his first career start at quarterback against Missouri State in the season opener and threw for 88 yards on 12-of-22 passing with one touchdown and one interception. He became the fourth quarterback in the Houston Nutt era to win his first game as the starting quarterback. He posted his best game statistically against Vanderbilt passing for a career-high 204 yards and two touchdowns. He connected on 17-of-28 pass attempts including touchdown strikes to Marcus Monk and Peyton Hillis. He was posting a solid effort against No. 1 USC before an injury forced him to the sideline. He suffered a blow from behind, bruising his lower back and causing a headache. That late second-quarter hit forced him to miss the remainder of the game. Before he exited, he completed eight-of-16 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. He found Monk for a 12-yard touchdown early in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7. He returned from a bruised back against Alabama and struggled to find his rhythm. He passed for 81 yards on 11-of-26 passing with an interception. He also rushed eight times for 24 yards including a season-long rush of 14 yards. He rebounded with an efficient and effective performance in a non-conference win over Louisiana-Monroe. He completed 12 of his 17 pass attempts for 119 yards and a touchdown in the 44-15 win at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. He found Cedric Logan for a five-yard score in the third quarter against the Indians. He also earned 11 yards rushing on five attempts in the win. He completed 17-of-28 passes for 174 yards (second-most in his career) and one interception in a loss to Auburn. He also rushed for 14 yards on six carries against the Tigers. He threw for 116 yards on 11-of-19 passing with one interception in the Hogs’ near-upset of No. 4 Georgia. He was replaced as the starting quarterback prior to the South Carolina game. It marked the first time all season Johnson did not play in a game. He saw his only playing time after relinquishing the starting job against Mississippi State. He completed 1-of-2 passes for three yards in Arkansas’ 44-10 win over the Bulldogs. 

2004: He saw limited time serving as the backup to Matt Jones at quarterback. He played in six (New Mexico State, Louisiana-Monroe, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss and LSU) of the Hogs’ 11 games. He completed 10-of-19 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw one interception. He rushed 10 times for 37 yards with a long run of 19 yards. He threw for two touchdown passes in his first collegiate game against New Mexico State. -- He saw his first collegiate action against New Mexico State. He completed five passes on eight attempts for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with Chris Baker on a 74-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter against the Aggies. He also found Cedric Washington for 19 yards and a score in the third quarter. He also rushed three times for 28 yards, including a long run of 19 yards against NMSU. He did not see action against No. 7 Texas. He completed a pass for 10 yards on his only attempt in a 49-20 win over Louisiana-Monroe. He did not see action in the SEC opener against Alabama or in the Hogs’ loss at No. 16 Florida. He came on for an injured Matt Jones in the fourth quarter of a 38-20 loss to No. 4 Auburn. He earned completions on both of his pass attempts for 20 yards and one touchdown. He passed for 16 yards to Cedric Washington before finding Brandon Kennedy for a four-yard touchdown on the next play. He also rushed once for a yard against the Tigers. He played the final two offensive series for the Razorbacks in a 20-14 loss to No. 6 Georgia after Matt Jones had to leave the game with an injury. He rushed four times for one yard and was sacked twice. He also threw two incomplete passes against the Bulldogs. He did not see action in the Razorbacks’ road loss at South Carolina. He came on midway through the third quarter in the Hogs’ 35-3 win over Ole Miss. He completed two-of-four passes for 47 yards including a 30-yard strike to Marcus Monk. His other completion was a 17-yard gainer to Jared Hicks. He rushed twice for seven yards including a 10-yard run for a first down. He did not see snaps against Mississippi State. He played briefly against No. 12 LSU in the season finale. He misfired on both of his pass attempts and suffered his first career interception in the Hogs’ 43-14 loss.

2003: He worked at quarterback in practice taking snaps behind Matt Jones and Ryan Sorahan during his redshirt freshman season.

HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: He was ranked as the No. 7 dual-threat quarterback in the nation and the No. 55 quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com. He was also rated the No. 37 player in the Midlands Top 100 and the No. 29 player in the Texas Top 100 by Rivals.com. He was rated as the No. 4 quarterback in Texas by redzonerecruiting.com. TheInsiders.com ranked him as the No. 56 quarterback in the nation and the No. 21 player in Texas. He completed 104-of-173 passes for 1,575 yards and 16 touchdowns with only five interceptions as a senior. He also rushed for 847 yards and 12 touchdowns on 84 carries as a senior. He passed for 1,200 yards and rushed for 700 yards in his junior season. He has a 38-inch vertical leap. He bench pressed 285 pounds and squat lifted 525 pounds in high school. He was named Super Syntex Offensive Player of the Year. He led his team to a 10-0 record as a senior. Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt and assistant coach Chris Vaughn attended his senior football banquet where he announced his decision to join the Razorbacks. He was also recruited by Kansas State and Nebraska. He was rated the No. 7 quarterback in the southwest by Student Sports High School Football. He was rated the No. 4 athletic quarterback in Texas by Max Emfinger, the No. 32 player in Texas by SuperPrep and the No. 29 player in Texas by Lonestar Recruiting. He was listed in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Top 300. He was a PrepStar All-American.

PERSONAL: Born Dec. 7, 1984, he is the son of Angela Johnson and brother of UA safety Rashaad Johnson. He is enrolled in the College of Education and Health Professions and is majoring in kinesiology with an emphasis on teaching. He was named a Hard Working Hog for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 academic years.