De’Andre Johnson stayed true to his Florida roots Wednesday morning.
The East Mississippi Community College quarterback made official a return to his home state when he signed a scholarship offer with Florida Atlantic and new coach Lane Kiffin.
Wednesday was the first day sophomores and transfers from senior college programs at National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) institutions could sign senior college scholarship offers. Players who have completed degree work, including Johnson, can enroll at their new school in January and participate in spring drills.
“This is a great opportunity,” Johnson said. “God has blessed me with this unique opportunity. I am excited about what the future holds.”
Johnson was a four-year starter at First Coast Academy in Jacksonville, Florida. During his prep career, Johnson threw for 11,585 yards and 122 touchdowns. He finished high school in December 2014 and signed early with Florida State. Johnson went through spring drills and played in the spring game in 2015. Shortly after the spring semester ended, video surfaced of Johnson punching a female patron at a bar in Jacksonville, Florida. FSU removed Johnson from the football program.
Johnson continued his football career at EMCC. During his first school year at Scooba, Johnson was enrolled in classes but wasn’t part of the football team. After a year, he was given the opportunity to join the team and later started the 2016 season.
“The year away from the game was the longest year of my life,” Johnson said. “You learn how much you love the game when it is taken away from you. It was painful. I know I had to make amends for my actions, but it was a long, difficult road.”
Johnson made the most of his second chance. This season, he was named the NJCAA Region 23 Most Valuable Offensive Player and earned All-America accolades. EMCC finished 11-1 and was ranked second nationally. Johnson also was named Most Valuable Offensive Player/Back for the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division and also earned game MVP honors at the Mississippi Bowl.
Johnson threw for 2,646 yards and 26 touchdowns (six interceptions). His recurring profile was among the nation’s best. However, some of the larger schools were still skeptical to bring Johnson into their program.
“De’Andre is just an incredible human being,” EMCC offensive coordinator Marcus Wood said in a preseason interview. “He assumed the leadership role from the first day. Even when he was not officially part of the team, guys rallied around him and responded to him. He is the kind who works hard and sets an example every day.”
Johnson is the latest EMCC quarterback to get a chance to play at the next level. Randall Mackey, Bo Wallace, and Chad Kelly all played the position at Ole Miss. Jacquez Johnson also went to Florida Atlantic. Dontreal Pruitt played at Troy. Last season’s quarterbacking duo of Wyatt Roberts and John Franklin III landed at Mississippi State and Auburn, respectively.
Wallace, Pruitt, and Kelly led EMCC to national championships. This season’s squad began the season ranked No. 1 but lost its season opener to Jones County Junior College.
“Very thankful to (EMCC) for this opportunity,” Johnson said. “They gave me a chance. They gave me another shot to play the game I love. I made some really great friends here. I hope they will be my brothers for the rest of my life. We fell short of our main goal (the national championship). However, I really grew and matured a lot as a player and as a person.”
Elsewhere at EMCC, defensive back Brian Cole, offensive lineman Tyre Phillips, and defensive lineman Chauncey Rivers signed with MSU.
Defensive back T.J. Jallow is headed to Purdue, defensive lineman Ezekiel Rose is headed to West Virginia, defensive lineman D.J. Henderson is headed to Idaho, offensive lineman Demetrius Gleaton is headed to Nicholls State, wide receiver Ja’Moz Mark is headed to Mississippi College, and wide receiver Damion Willis and Rasool Clemons signed with Troy. Clemons missed the 2016 with injury and will have three seasons of eligibility at Troy.
No official signings including former Starkville High School standouts Jacquez Horsley and Raphael Leonard or former Columbus High standout Alex Lipscomb were announced Wednesday. However, EMCC expects more signings before week’s end.
n In other MACJC recruiting news, former Noxubee County High standout Wesley Bush signed with Middle Tennessee State. Bush finished seventh on the team with 48 tackles from his safety position at Northwest Mississippi C.C. Bush finished with five interceptions this season and had 78 tackles for his two-year career with the Rangers.
He was also part of the NJCAA national championship squad in 2015 at Northwest.
Former Columbus High standout Corey Brown, a defensive tackle, signed with Austin Peay.
n Eight Itawamba C.C. football players signed on the first day of mid-term signing period.
In addition to Lee Autry signing with Mississippi State, Peyton Bender signed with Kansas. He finished his lone season with the Indians passing for 2,733 yards and 21 touchdowns (four interceptions). Bender transferred to ICC after spending one season at Washington State.
Three sophomore linemen that helped the pave the way for the Indians’ 5,069 yards of total offense and 36 points per game signed on Wednesday. Jadarius Little (Horn Lake) signed with Jackson State, Brennon McCormick (Olive Branch) signed with Mississippi College, and MACJC All-State first teamer and NJCAA All-Region selection DqMarcus Shaw (Batesville) signed with East Carolina.
Sophomore defensive back Deon Knox (Grenada) signed with Arkansas at Monticello. The Grenada High School product finished his final season in Fulton with 28 tackles, two tackles for loss, one fumble recovery, and one blocked kick.
Sophomore defensive end Kenney Wooten (Meridian) signed to continue his career at Murray State. He finished this season with 31 tackles, five-and-a-half sacks, eight tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Sophomore long snapper Matthew Stewart (Kossuth) signed with Alcorn State.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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