Eden Prairie product Jermaine Johnson is so freakishly athletic at linebacker, Georgia football coach Kirby Smart referred to him as "Superman" heading into last season.
The superhero-like Johnson from practice didn't show up as consistently in games, though. So now Johnson is determined to prove why 247Sports.com rated him as the nation's No. 1 junior college recruit last year.
"I think I took a big leap this offseason," Johnson told reporters this summer.
Johnson's hope for a breakout season on the SEC's big stage is one story line college football fans in Minnesota can follow, as the Big Ten and Pac-12 sit idle because of the pandemic.
ACC and Big 12 teams will kick off their seasons Saturday, and the SEC schedule opens Sept. 26, when Georgia faces Arkansas. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Johnson will be among the top Minnesotans to watch with the abbreviated list of games each week.
"I don't think I put my best on film last year, personally," Johnson added. "Going into this season and especially coming into the spring, I was really excited to prove some things and work hard and just get better."
It might be tough for Gophers fans if Johnson turns into a star in the SEC.
P.J. Fleck fell just short of luring him back to his home state out of Independence (Kan.) Community College. Johnson picked Georgia over schools such as Texas, Oregon and USC as well. He recorded 12 ½ sacks in 20 games to showcase pass-rushing ability that put him on the radar of NFL scouts.
That was a long way from his Eden Prairie days when he was 2 inches and 30 pounds smaller with no Power Five scholarship offers as a high school senior. Minnesota even shied away due to his academic issues.
Johnson had been a two-star recruit coming out of high school, so his rise to prominence made him a focus of the award-winning Netflix documentary series "Last Chance U" when the show chronicled Independence's 2018 season.
After enrolling early at Georgia last year, Johnson competed for a starting linebacker spot but ended up with just one start in 14 games in 2019. He finished with 20 tackles and 2½ sacks, but he knows he can accomplish more after a year of experience under his belt.
"In my pass rush, [being] more technical in my movements," he told reporters. "In JUCO, my athleticism got me far, and then coming here, learning that technique gets you further."
Even with no spring football due to COVID-19, Johnson didn't let quarantine slow down his progress. He worked out at Eden Prairie's field and lifted weights in his garage with equipment his father purchased.
"Over quarantine I was just keeping my head down and working hard," Johnson said. "I was really focused on not falling behind because I know it's easy for some guys to fall in that slump over that time."
With Georgia ranked No. 4 in both preseason national polls, Johnson has a chance as a projected starting outside linebacker to make a bigger impact on a title contender in his final college season.
