The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
01.08.2004 | Football
AUSTIN, Texas - After shocking a large gathering of media, UT administrators and coaches by announcing at a press conference on Thursday that he was taking his talents to the NFL, Longhorn junior linebacker Derrick Johnson (Waco, Texas/Waco HS) grinned and made his real proclamation, declaring he will return for his senior season. Johnson followed in the footsteps of a number of high profile juniors that have elected to stay in school under head coach Mack Brown. RB Ricky Williams (1998), DT Casey Hampton (2000), OT Leonard Davis (2000), CB Quentin Jammer (2001) and OT Mike Williams (2001) all became first-round draft picks after announcing they'd return for their final seasons and WR Roy Williams enters the 2004 NFL Draft as one of the drafts top prospects.
Johnson began his announcement at UT's Bellmont Hall by thanking his family, teammates, coaches, The University and its fans. The capper came when he said he'd reached his goals and "That's why I think I'm ready to take on my next challenge and head to the NFL."
After a long pause, Johnson let everyone in on the joke planned out while preparing for his announcement in Waco Wednesday night. "No, I'm just kidding," Johnson said. "On second thought, the NFL is a life-long dream for me. It's a big accomplishment to be in this situation right now, but my goals have changed. I want to take another shot at the National Championship, I want to get closer to my degree and I want to win the Butkus. By me coming back, it will better me as a person. I love the city of Austin. It's a tremendous feeling being around the Texas football team, and they just show you so much of a family atmosphere, it's hard to leave. That's why I'll be here one more year."
Johnson became just the seventh Longhorn ever and the first linebacker to earn consensus first-team All-America honors as a junior in 2003. He also was Texas' first-ever Butkus Award (nation's top linebacker) finalist and the first Longhorn LB since Britt Hager in 1988 to claim first-team All-America honors.
"We're obviously thrilled that Derrick has decided to return for his senior year," said Mack Brown. "He already is one of the best linebackers in Texas history, and one more year will put him in a category in which few have ever been anywhere. He has been a big part of our Longhorn family, and he has gotten better and better each year. He's certainly one of the best players I've ever been around, and he is a great example of what a student-athlete should be off the field, as well. He has a great understanding of our program, and we couldn't have a better representative emerging as a leader for this football team."
A two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection, Johnson led the Longhorns with 125 tackles (78 solo), 20 tackles for loss (T-No. 7 on the UT single-season list/second-most by a LB), seven 10-tackle games and three fumble recoveries as a junior. He also tied the UT single-season record for linebackers with four interceptions, and posted two sacks, 10 QB pressures, nine pass breakups and one forced fumble. Six of the seven turnovers he forced last season (four interceptions/three fumble recoveries) either resulted in a TD (he returned a pick 47 yards for a score against New Mexico State) or set up short TD drives. In five games against Top 25 opponents in 2003, Johnson registered 50 tackles, 12 TFLs, one interception, five pressures and a caused fumble.
Johnson, Texas' 2003 Mike Campbell Most Valuable Defensive Player and the only junior listed among last year's Butkus Award finalists, has posted 328 tackles (No. 11 on the UT all-time chart), 208 solo stops, 8.5 sacks, 46 TFLs (T-No. 9 on the UT all-time list/second-most among LBs), 29 pressures, six fumble recoveries (T-No. 7 on the UT all-time chart) and two caused fumbles in 38 career games (28 starts). His eight career interceptions are tied for the UT record by a linebacker, while his 22 career PBUs are a Longhorn LB best. He has recorded 15 career double-digit tackle games. In 13 career games against Top 25 opponents, Johnson has posted 117 tackles, 22 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, three interceptions, 10 pressures, eight PBUs, a caused fumble and a fumble recovery.
"It has always been my dream to play in the NFL, but I have a lot of goals I still want to achieve at the college level," Johnson said. "The number one thing is that I know I have plenty of room for improvement and I'm going to work hard to become the best linebacker I can be before taking it to the next level. My teammates also played a big part in my decision. I play with a great bunch of guys and we have a great family atmosphere here. It feels so much like home. I couldn't imagine not spending my senior year with all of them. I just figured three years are good, four would be even better."
As a sophomore, Johnson started all 13 games and registered 120 tackles, 13 TFLs, two sacks, 10 pressures, 10 PBUs and tied the UT LB record with four interceptions en route to first-team All-Big 12 honors. He led all Big 12 freshmen in tackles (83) and sacks (4.5) and ranked second in TFLs (13) on his way to Big 12 co-Defensive Freshman of the Year honors as a true freshman in 2001. The Sporting News tabbed him the National Freshman of the Year that season.
Texas has posted a 32-7 record in Johnson's three seasons in Austin. The Horns have ranked among the nation's final Top 12 in each of the three seasons and posted three straight top 25 finishes in total defense. UT enters 2004 as one of only five programs that has posted at least 10 wins in each of the last three seasons. Johnson joins a group of 17 returning starters (8 offense/7 defense/2 specialist) next season.
"It means a great deal to me to become a leader, especially on this team," Johnson said. "With me being a senior next year, it's going to be tremendous to be a leader. It's going to be hard. We've got a lot of good players, and you're going to have to stand with the best of them, and I've been taking on characteristics of a leader every year, and this year is my chance to be the guy to lead."
