First impressions can be tough to shake, especially a good one like receiver James Johnson had as a freshman for the University of Washington football team. Impressions can change quickly, however, when the injury bug hits.
“I think one of the most important things about my freshman year was that I was very confident in myself coming in,” Johnson said. “I got the injury last year and some of that confidence went away and I was very unsure about a lot of things.
“I came out and missed the first three games with the ankle. I came back and started to get in the rotation; I got sick and missed another two weeks. It was just an unfortunate deal.”
Johnson, a native of Valley Center, Calif., who is entering his junior year at UW, had an impressive 2009 campaign that included 422 yards and three touchdowns on 39 receptions.
But last year Johnson had only one catch for 3 yards and was buried in the depth chart when healthy.
“I took a lot of bumps and bruises, and I learned from them last year,” Johnson said. “I’m just looking forward to taking advantage of every opportunity I get this year.”
Johnson (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) said the ankle injury was the first injury that has ever forced him to miss time. But he added his 40-yard dash time is down to 4.4 from 4.49 after participating on the Huskies’ track team last spring.
Huskies wide receiver coach Jimmie Dougherty said Johnson has an outstanding work ethic.
“I think James has done a nice job of really learning the details,” Dougherty said. “He’s one of my better guys as far as really understanding the position. Understanding how to run routes. He’s really taken pride in that and taken his game to the next level as far as that goes.
“I think that goes when he wasn’t healthy; he was still getting better. He was still getting his mental reps and trying to learn and do all these things throughout the summer. Now you see him out here, he’s playing a bunch of different positions for us, which is a good thing. He knew that knowing more was going to help him get on the field.”
With former Lakes High star Jermaine Kearse squared away as the No. 1 receiver, there will be a stiff battle for playing time between Devin Aguilar, Kevin Smith, Cody Bruns, Kasen Williams, DiAndre Campbell and Johnson.
Dougherty said that even though Johnson was a non-factor last year, that doesn’t hurt his chances for this season.
“If guys are making plays and making the most of their opportunities, nobody has ever lost their chance,” Dougherty said.
EXTRA POINTS
Austin Seferian-Jenkins may be the talk of camp, but Desmond Trufant made sure the freshman wasn’t getting ahead of himself, as he had a bone-crushing hit on the young tight end, resulting in Jenkins losing a catch. Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian said that was a “welcome to college football” hit. … Finding the answer for a punt returner seems to be alive and well as Williams, Bruns, Smith and Willis Wilson all saw time returning booming punts from Kiel Rasp and Will Mahan. … Williams continued to impress Friday with two one-handed catches. He also turned a 10-yard pass into a 75-yard touchdown. … Pads appeared to have no effect on freshman running back Bishop Sankey, who continued his impressive performance and sliced through the Washington defense again.
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