Johnson to return to linebacker
After a trying season, Rodrick Johnson will be back where he belongs Saturday—starting at middle linebacker.
Johnson, a senior, played linebacker in each of his first three seasons at Oklahoma State. He was the team’s third-leading tackler in each of the last two years.
Yet coming into the 2007 season, OSU coaches were faced with a lack of depth at defensive end and a wealth of talent at linebacker. They decided to ask Johnson, the natural choice due to his bigger size, to switch positions.
After starting 10 games at middle linebacker just a year earlier, Johnson was to move to end and become a backup.
He admits he wasn’t thrilled about the idea.
“My first thought was ‘No, I don’t want to do it,’” Johnson said. “But you’ve got to think about the team; you’ve got to put the team ahead of you. That’s where they really needed me at that time.
“Wherever they need me, that’s where they’re going to get me.”
Despite his willingness to make the change, Johnson said he never quite felt at home at defensive end.
“I never actually got comfortable because I never got to play as much as I wanted to play,” he said. “Once you start learning the plays and the techniques, it comes naturally to you, but there’s still that factor that you question if you doing it right. I played it to the best of my ability, and coaches really appreciated my efforts.”
Now, however, things have changed. The wealth the Cowboys had at linebacker was all but obliterated by the end of the Kansas State game.
Sophomore Chris Collins has missed more than a month with a toe injury, and sophomore Patrick Lavine and senior Jeremy Nethon both went down against the Wildcats.
Suddenly, Johnson was need more at linebacker again than defensive end, and last week he made the switch back to his old position.
Defensive coordinator Tim Beckman said that Johnson looked good at linebacker in practice during the bye week.
“He’s doing a good job,” Beckman said. “He’s a guy that’s played the position, and he had a good week of practice last week.”
While Johnson has experience, there have been a few new things for him to learn since returning to his old spot on the field.
“It’s a crunch course for him,” Beckman said. “The big thing for him is terms, learning the terms that are quite a bit different from last year. But it’s football. He’s picked it up extremely fast because he’s played so much.”
Johnson said the extra week of practice helped him to learn the differences since he last played linebacker, and now he’s catching on quickly
“The gaps and stuff are a little bit different, but pretty much, it’s still the same,” he said. “I’m just getting back to being comfortable standing up instead of having my hand down, working off the ends.”
Collins and Lavine have both practiced this week, and one or both could rotate in and play Saturday. Still, Johnson is expected to start at middle linebacker, and Beckman said he’d like to see him play at least 35-40 snaps.
Regardless of how much he plays, Johnson said he’s just happy to be back in familiar territory.
“It feels normal there,” Johnson said. “It feels like home.”
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