Three years into his college football journey, RJ Johnson hasn’t played as much as he would have hoped.
With more experience and better health this spring, however, Johnson is aiming to change that.
“This is my third year here,” said Johnson, a junior cornerback for the Colorado Buffaloes. “So, I’ve been here. I’ve seen it all. I’ve been around Travis (Hunter), I’ve been around Cam (Silmon-Craig), some of those guys. So, just being able to be more vocal and being more of a leader and just stepping up into that role.”
Johnson began his career at Arkansas in 2023, playing in one game and redshirting before coming to CU in 2024. That season, he played in 12 games, mostly on special teams. Overall, he had 33 snaps on defense and finished the season with nine tackles.
Last year, he opened the season as a starter for the first three games, but played just four snaps in a Week 3 game at Houston because of injury. He played just one snap the rest of the season, in Week 9 against Arizona, and finished the year with eight tackles, one interception and a pass breakup.
This spring, he’s been healthy as he battles for a starting job.
“Just being more healthy (is key),” he said. “The best ability is availability. So, being able to stay on the field and just taking care of what I need to do off the field as well.”
Johnson is part of a crowded cornerback room that is loaded with talent, but is lean on experience, at least at the Power Four level.
Johnson and Makari Vickers (217 snaps last season) are both back and competing, but redshirt freshmen transfers Jason Stokes (Utah) and Cree Thomas (Notre Dame) are the only other players in the room with Power Four experience. Thomas played 30 snaps on defense last year, while Stokes played 29.
However, the room also includes transfers Justin Eaglin (James Madison), Emory Floyd (Appalachian State) and Paul Omodia (Lamar), who all earned all-conference honors at their previous schools. And freshman Maurice Williams Jr. is making plays this spring.
“We’ve got a great unit (at cornerback),” Johnson said. “We’re very versatile. We have a lot of guys, and (the recruiting staff has) done a great job bringing in a lot of guys that come in hungry and wants it. So, itap been very great to play alongside those guys and just be in the room and get to know the other people in my room.”
First-year cornerbacks coach Aaron Fletcher is excited about the group he’s working with this spring.
“A lot of youth, but a lot of athleticism and potential,” Fletcher said. “Really some fiery young competitive guys that we have here, really long.
“But the thing that we’ve got to continue to do is continue to grow repetition, get those guys experience so we can match that productivity with everything. Productivity winds up actually turning into Ws (wins) on the field. So thatap what we’re looking to do right now, just continue to grow and develop those guys.”
Hands on
During his first three seasons as head coach at CU, Deion Sanders leaned on assistant Kevin Mathis to mentor the cornerbacks. Then, he brought in Fletcher this offseason.
Together, Mathis and Fletcher have several years of college coaching experience.
Yet, the corners are also getting coached more by Sanders, a Hall of Fame cornerback who is widely regarded as the best to ever play the position. Sanders has always done some coaching in that room, but Johnson said there’s more of it this spring.
“Coach Prime’s being in the meeting rooms, on the practice field; he’s literally demonstrating what itap like to do, what itap like to be a corner and just being able to play bump-and-run,” Johnson said. “How we can better our eyes, our feet, our hips, everything that just comes with being a lockdown corner. So, itap been great.
“Itap definitely been more emphasis this year with Coach Prime. He’s a lot more hands-on.”
