Penn State wideout Juwan Johnson makes the most of his offseason
The sophomore and Glassboro High grad improved his route running and separation.
For a guy who caught just two passes for Penn State last year, Juwan Johnson has received a lot of buzz during spring practice from his teammates, his wide receivers coach, and head coach James Franklin.
The 6-foot-4, 218-pound Johnson, a Glassboro High School graduate who will be entering his redshirt sophomore season in the fall, has impressed everyone with his route running, ability to gain separation on defenders and speed.
With Chris Godwin - the Nittany Lions' top receiver last year with 59 catches, 982 yards and 11 touchdowns - heading to the NFL, Johnson should be in the mix of candidates, with holdovers DaeSean Hamilton, DeAndre Thompkins and Saeed Blacknall, seeking to be a favorite target of quarterback Trace McSorley.
Franklin said that Johnson's development benefitted from him taking a "very mature, very aggressive" approach in the offseason.
"He kind of has it figured out what he needs to do to be successful with our team, what he needs to do to have a bigger role, what are his strengths, what are his weaknesses," Franklin said. "He's a mature guy, and he's a smart guy. So he's really kind of made a significant jump from the end of the season to now.
"He identified what his strengths and weaknesses are in conversations with his position coach and myself. He said he was going to work hard in those areas and make those weaknesses strengths. He's playing with a lot of confidence right now. I think we all know he's got some special physical abilities, and it's all starting to come together for him."
Johnson, a four-star recruit who was ranked as a top 25 receiver out of high school, sat out his first season on campus as a redshirt. He played mostly on special teams last year, blocking a punt in the team's 39-0 win over Rutgers, and his two catches came in the season's second and 12th games.
Since the season ended, he has shown coaches and teammates a distinct commitment to improve, and that has carried on to the practice field.
"Every time I go in the [football] building to do some extra work, he's either in there or leaving because he just got done," tight end Mike Gesicki said. "He's staying after practice and doing some extra catching. On his off days he's going in to stretch and get into tubs and make sure his body is right. I think Juwan is doing everything in his power to kind of reach the success that he wants."
McSorley also has noticed.
"He's done a tremendous job this offseason," he said. "He's always in the weight room. Every time you walk in there he's stretching or doing something to get himself better. You love seeing guys that put in all the work, and it comes to fruition on the field, running routes, getting separation. He's done a tremendous job, and he's continuing to get better and better."
Wide receivers coach Josh Gattis called Johnson one of the most improved players on the team.
"He's a guy that's going to make a lot of plays for us this upcoming season and help us win a lot of games," he said.
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