Johnson nearly dismissed UW
Sarkisian changed star receiver’s mind
SEATTLE – Now that he’s wearing the purple and gold of Washington, James Johnson can recall his moment of dismissal with a chuckle.
Last fall, as a promising high school senior, Johnson sat in his bedroom one day and had the idea of playing his college ball at Washington pop into his mind.
“I told myself Washington was horrible and I would never go there,” Johnson recalled.
So why, less than a year later, is Johnson the leading receiver for the Huskies nearly halfway through his first college season?
“Out of all the other coaches I felt (a connection with) Coach (Sarkisian),” Johnson said.
There was a good reason Washington coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff were giddy on national signing day last February when they plucked Johnson, who had nearly 3,000 yards receiving in his high school career, out of Southern California and brought the lanky 6-foot playmaker to the Northwest.
From nearly his first formal practice for Washington in August, Johnson has imprinted himself as the Huskies’ star pass catcher for the future. He caught six passes and a touchdown in his college debut against LSU, then grabbed seven more in the Huskies’ attention-grabbing 16-13 upset of USC.
Last week against Notre Dame, Johnson caught only two of Jake Locker’s passes. But one of those came on Washington’s final drive of regulation when Johnson made an acrobatic 37-yard reception to help set up Erik Folk’s field goal that sent the game to overtime.
The fact Johnson is with the Huskies is shocking considering how Washington was brushed off a year ago. The Huskies didn’t even land on Johnson’s consideration list until after Sarkisian took over in Seattle.
It was then that Sarkisian visited Johnson in the hopes of getting him to give the Huskies a chance. Johnson said he felt a connection with Sarkisian that he lacked with other coaches.
“I just think he goes out and plays,” Sarkisian said. “It doesn’t matter, who, what, when, where or how – this is what I’m supposed to do, here comes the ball, let me catch it and go make my play.”