With no high school football season in Hawaii in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many seniors who were set for breakout campaigns instead had to take alternate routes to football success.
In Jackie Johnson III’s case, the 2021 Roosevelt alumnus initially signed with Lawrence Tech of the NAIA. After two standout seasons in Southfield, Mich., he decided to bet on himself and come to his hometown school as a walk-on.
All the latest sports news from Hawaii’s sports station
Johnson has been one of the standouts at spring ball so far, wreaking havoc on the defensive edge during the majority of the team’s reps.
“I don’t think I’d be the same player I am today if I didn’t have to go through all those trials and go way far from home,” Johnson told KHON2 sports director Rob DeMello. “But it fulfilled me. It’s taught me how to work hard. I know the path I took was really hard.
“I play with a chip on my shoulder. I try to have an edge. Guys told me I’m not tall enough to play this position. I try to prove them wrong. But I just want to prove all the coaches that’s poured into me, put the time into me, I want to prove them right. So, I’m not going to stop going. I’m gonna keep going.”