SCOOBA — Quez Johnson always had dreams of playing football at the highest level.
While it has taken much longer than he anticipated, the dream is still alive. Fully recovered from a serious shoulder injury, the former Starkville High School standout will be back in the limelight this fall as quarterback for East Mississippi Community College, the nation’s top-ranked junior college football team.
EMCC will begin defense of its national championship at 7 p.m. Aug. 30 when it plays host to Pearl River C.C. at Sullivan-Windham Field. EMCC players and coaches met the media Monday during Media Day activities on the campus.
“All of my life I have always wanted to be a leader,” said the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Johnson. “This is another step for me to get where I wanted to get.”
It has taken Johnson time to take this step. Several Division I schools recruited him as a senior season at Starkville High. A slight shoulder injury limited his mobility for the Yellow Jackets that season.
After the year was completed and the recruiting interest intensified, Johnson aggravated the injury in the postseason Bernard Blackwell All-Star Classic. Surgery followed two weeks later.
“After the surgery, the offers did not come in as I would have liked,” Johnson said. “I knew I could always fall back on East Mississippi because they were in my district. They offered me very early, so I knew I could always come here and be the quarterback.”
EMCC fifth-year coach Buddy Stephens expects Johnson to be more than a quarterback.
“He is like a second coach out there,” Stephens said. “He knows where people should be lined up and where the ball is supposed to be. He has matured so much and has a firm grasp of the offense. He is a leader in every way imaginable.”
Through adversity, Johnson has learned patience.
“(Being injured) was pretty hard,” Johnson said. “I had never sat down during a football game. After the shoulder surgery, I was upset because I couldn’t showcase myself anymore. Last season, I was on the sideline for every game. I started doubting myself. I was not sure I belonged.”
Since Johnson didn’t play last season, the NJCAA granted him a non-participation waiver, which is similar to a NCAA redshirt, meaning he didn’t lose any eligibility as a member of the team last season.
“Quez got to sit back and watch and listen,” Stephens said. “You don’t see that in junior college ball very much, since everybody is only here two years. Players are signed to play right away. I think being in the practices, being in the film room, being in the meetings, I think that gives Quez a huge advantage going into the season.”
Johnson also feels his involvement with the team last season en route to the program’s first national title and an undefeated run will pay huge dividends this season. The Lions run a high-octane offense with lots of no huddle and lots of passing opportunities.
“Now that I can play again, I don’t think you will see me take anything for granted,” Johnson said. “There will be lots of passion, lots of intensity and lots of leadership. And hopefully, lots of wins.”
EMCC sophomore wide receiver Billy Shed played with Johnson at Starkville High. Never doubting his longtime teammate, Shed still has been surprised by Johnson’s progression.
“He is throwing the ball better than he ever has,” Shed said. “He had to get his endurance back. But Quez worked so hard during the offseason. He was not going to let the injury get him down. Now that he will get his chance, I think he will really take off in this offense.”
Last season, quarterback Bo Wallace set numerous national passing records while leading the Lions to a school-record 12 wins, a second state championship, and the national championship. Wallace, who is competing for the starting job as quarterback at the University of Mississippi, threw for 4,604 yards and 53 touchdowns.
This season, the expectations for EMCC and its quarterback are sky high. For the first time, EMCC begins the season as the nation’s top-ranked team.
“I really don’t feel the pressure,” Johnson said. “We are not the team from last year. I think the sophomores on this team understand that. The expectations were for that team. This team is different. We want to set our own mark in history.
“I am excited about the offense and about the players who will be around me. What I learned during spring practice is I don’t have to make all the plays like I did in high school. I just have to get the ball to the outside to the play makers. If I do that, they can make me look good.
“Coach Stephens has called me the mailman. He told me I don’t have to do anything special. I just have to deliver the mail.”
Johnson learned how to deal with high expectations by playing for Jamie Mitchell in his final season at Starkville. While the Yellow Jackets had a losing record that season, Mitchell’s first team established a foundation, which led to an appearance in the state championship game a season later.
“I learned (from coach Mitchell) you are never out of a play,” Johnson said. “I also learned it is not good enough to come in second. We would lose a close game and he would come in and chew us out. He did that because he knew we were better than that.
“The standards he held us to were high. They went a long way toward preparing me for this opportunity.”
Never one to show his hand early, Stephens said Monday that Johnson and former Laurel High School standout Dontreal Pruitt were vying for the starting job next Thursday night. Pruitt earned All-State honors last season while carrying the Tornadoes to the Class 4A state championship game.
Both likely will see playing time in the opener. A versatile athlete, Pruitt could be used in several ways in a diverse offense. While Stephens is a big fan of both athletes, he knows Johnson is ready to end his layoff and to seize the moment.
“We want him to become a more vocal leader,” Stephens said. “He does so many things right. He also understands what we are trying to do. I am excited to see what he does with his opportunity.”
The same excitement could be said for the Lions in general. The squad will begin the season riding a 12-game win streak, a 12-game regular-season win streak, and an eight-game MACJC North Division win streak.
On Monday, construction was being completed to add the 2011 national championship banner to the stadium’s scoreboard.
“Our mantra last year was to go 1-0 each week,” Stephens said. “We will approach this season the same way. We want to win the first game. We want to win the second game. Eventually, we want to win the North Division. We want to win the state championship. But all goals go hand in hand. They all start with first game. I wish we had 15 or 20 more days to get ready, but all coaches have concerns before the first game.
“I do know this though. This team is very talented. If we ever get rolling, we are going to be very tough to deal with.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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