AMHERST — It wasn’t hard to miss Jermaine Johnson Jr. on that summer day in 2017.
The receiver — who goes by the nickname “OC” that was given to him by his father — was wearing a lot of lime green that night as a rising junior at Dematha Catholic just outside of Washington, D.C. But more importantly, in a camp that featured numerous four- and five-star recruits in the area, Johnson stole the show with his speed and toughness.
By the end of the day, Johnson had earned an offer from Maryland, whose offensive coordinator happened to be Walt Bell.
“It was our biggest night at Maryland, so there were four and five stars and there’s all these freaks that everyone in the world wants,” Bell said. “And there was one guy who competed and won routes and earned an offer from us as an offensive staff at Maryland as a sophomore.”
Johnson suffered a knee injury early in his junior season, which scared off some schools from the 5-foot-10 receiver. His offer list was fairly small by the time he finished his senior year, but his most important offer hadn’t even been given out yet.
When Bell was hired as the UMass coach in December, he had 16 days to put together a recruiting class by the first signing period. Johnson was one of the few high school seniors who signed that day to play for the Minutemen, and there was one person responsible for that decision.
“Coach Bell, that’s the answer that everybody should already know,” Johnson said. “Him offering at Maryland and him offering me at UMass when he took the head job here later, he was showing me that love and that passion and the confidence he has in me to come here and play for him and this program and these coaches.”
From the moment he arrived in Amherst this summer, the coaching staff pushed Johnson hard. There were moments when the coaches singled out the freshman during conditioning drills at the end of the practice, but Johnson always responded to the challenge.
In a world where coaches screaming at players is sometimes frowned upon, Bell said he views it as a sign of his love for his players because his job is to exert every bit of potential out of them.
“You’ve got to give them something to attain every single day and push them and push them and push them because you’ve got to push him past the place he can get to himself, that’s what coaching is,” Bell said. “I see great things in his future, and it’s my job or I would be failing him if I don’t make him get there. We’re pushing him hard because we see great things for him.”
Throughout the summer, Johnson showcased all of the qualities that earned him the co-starter role. He was able to absorb contact — limited as it may have been — and hold onto the ball. He used his elite speed to burn past defensive backs tasked with trying to slow him and give his quarterback a deep threat.
But wide receivers coach Luke Paschall said the biggest reason Johnson was able to improve quickly and find a role on the field is how receptive the freshman is to coaching and uses it to aid his natural talents.
“He is lightning in a bottle, he is very fast, he’s quick, he’s got good hands,” Paschall said. “He’s a tiny guy, but man, he’s tough. He gets bounced around, he’s not afraid to put his face in there and play the game the right way. All those attributes have allowed him to progress a lot faster than some of these older guys who have been here. It’s been really fun to watch.”
Johnson led the Minutemen with six catches in Friday’s season-opening loss at Rutgers. They weren’t the long receptions that the coaches expect Johnson to supply, but he did his job when targeted.
He took his first collegiate pass for a first down on UMass’ second play, turning up field after a short route for extra yards. He also had a 13-yard catch for a first down as part of three straight plays where he was the intended receiver.
Yet Paschall said there were several other plays that won’t go down in the box score where he felt Johnson could have made an impact, giving him even more room to grow.
“He’s still a freshman, he did a bunch of freshman things the other night,” Paschall said. “He may have had six catches, but he would have wish he would have had three or four of them back that could have been touchdowns. He’s still learning the game, he’s still learning to play at this level.”
The good news for Johnson is that Friday’s game gave him a baseline for what to expect in the years ahead, and it came in a Big Ten stadium against a Big Ten foe. But he also isn’t taking any extra confidence from his performance at Rutgers than he had going into the season.
Like every UMass player, he has bought into the mindset that every spot is open every single week. Now his job is to not be complacent and continue to earns his snaps for game day.
“As we come in and start the new week, there are no starters,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to earn your spot, you’ve got to earn your position throughout the week through preparation and practice and everything. I just pride myself off being where I have to be, being on-time, doing what they tell me to do and perform in practice, trying to get my starting position so I can start for this week’s game.”
Josh Walfish can be reached at jwalfish@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshWalfishDHG. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.