Staying The Course
December 21, 2021 | Football, Joel Coleman
Jett Johnson kept working and put together a breakthrough season.
STARKVILLE – It was after the season opener when Mississippi State linebacker Jett Johnson got the message from his defensive coordinator.
"Coach [Zach] Arnett was like, 'You showed some good things. Expect to get a couple more reps,'" Johnson recalled.
Arnett was right. Johnson's playing time did increase. And the boy who grew up just an hour or so up the road from Starkville, over in Tupelo, used that playing time to put together a breakthrough season.
Headed into the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Johnson's 85 total tackles lead the Bulldogs. He's fourth on the team with six tackles for loss and is tied for second on the squad with 29 stops per Pro Football Focus. A stop is considered a tackle that constitutes a failure for the offense.
Put it all together and it's been a magical year for Johnson.
"It's pretty surreal," Johnson said. "I've been a State fan my whole life, so I laid in bed as a kid dreaming about playing in Davis Wade, making plays and stuff. I'm thankful to the Almighty for that."
Perhaps Johnson's production caught some off guard. On a defense full of playmakers coming into the season, Johnson's name was likely not the first to jump to mind.
He'd been in the program since 2018. In three seasons on campus prior to this one, Johnson had played in just seven games. He'd recorded only five career tackles.
Given Johnson's limited time on the field before 2021, he could've looked elsewhere to continue his football career. He could've sought out other opportunities.
Other places didn't offer what this one did though. Other places weren't Mississippi State.
"One of the things [I thought about] during my recruiting was – and you hate to think about it – but if you had a career-ending injury and couldn't play football anymore, would you be happy at the school you were at?" Johnson said. "I asked myself that question and I was like, 'Heck yeah.' I grew up a State fan. I loved it here. I love Starkville. I love the people here. I've got a lot of my best friends that go to school here. Even though my play was limited, I still loved the city and the people here. I just stayed the course. I guess it panned out alright so far this year."
It sure did. But how? How did Johnson springboard himself from little-used reserve to team leader? Perhaps the best answer came from head coach Mike Leach earlier this year.
Following a nine-tackle performance against N.C. State that also included a forced fumble and a pass break-up, Leach was asked about Johnson's emergence in the postgame press conference. Here's Leach's response:
"Jett Johnson does a great job of being the same guy every single day, every single play. There's a reliability in that. There's a consistency to that. As a result, if he's twisting with somebody, they always know where he's going to be. If he splits with somebody, they always know where he's going to be, and he always hits it at the same speed – full speed. The NFL is full of guys like that. The NFL is full of Jett Johnsons – guys that aren't the biggest or the fastest but are great football players. That's kind of what he is, and it starts with being the same guy every play. It becomes something you can rely on, something you can game plan around, something that you can expect every time."
Johnson isn't flashy. He's simply able to be counted on. That's on and off the field.
Yes, Johnson can come through with a key tackle or create a critical turnover. But what doesn't show up on the stat sheet is how he's become a leading voice for Mississippi State. He's always willing – win or lose – to step up to the podium in postgame settings and address the media. He seemingly takes pride in being a spokesman for the team he always longed to play for.
It might've taken Johnson a little longer to get to this spot than he'd have liked, but he's here now. And by the way, he's not likely to settle in or get complacent.
"Jett, he cares," Arnett said earlier this season. "He likes football, so he wants to know all the little details. He wants to know what his weaknesses are and how to improve upon them, so he shows up and gets to work."
It's shown, from the season opener all the way to the Liberty Bowl.
Johnson persevered, kept his head down and worked day after day. He's now getting to reap the rewards of his labor.
"I think I did pretty well," Johnson said of his season. "Just very thankful to have more impact on this defense because I love those guys. I love this team. Just thankful to pay back and contribute."
