In the world of college football, being named captain is an honor above most others. It shows that a player is not only an integral part of the team’s on-field success. He is a leader of men. His peers lift him above themselves and look to him to lead them into battle. Prior to his sixth season with the Scarlet and Gray, Xavier Johnson was selected as not just one of three captains for the Fall, but he earned the recently established “Block O” jersey honor.
Johnson took an unorthodox route in his time. He came to Ohio State with few expectations. Despite that, he kept his nose to the grindstone, continued to work hard, did whatever the coaches needed, and now is a crucial part of the Buckeyes’ offense in 2023.
Xavier Johnson’s Unlikely Rise to Captain
Rising to the Challenge
Despite coming from a smaller high school (Summit Country Day in Cincinnati, Ohio; the Silver Knights play in Division V and there are a total of seven divisions in Ohio), “X” made a name for himself with his big-play ability. As a senior, Johnson scored five different ways. In total, he logged receiving, rushing, kick return, punt return, and interception return touchdowns. In a state rife with elite talent, it’s incredibly difficult to stand out. Even in a down year as 2018 was, four Ohio-born players were ranked within the 247Sports top 100.
Johnson, meanwhile, was a three-star receiver ranked 53rd overall in Ohio and 197th in the nation at his position. He received 11 scholarship offers. Only one of those offers was Power 5 (Iowa State). Six were all six of the MAC East teams. Those final four offers were Ball State, his hometown team in Cincinnati, Western Kentucky, and North Dakota State (FCS).
Even then, he spurned those 11 programs to walk-on at Ohio State.
For a program that recruits as well as Ohio State does at wide receiver, a three-star walk-on has a monumental task ahead of him. After three years as a walk-on and appearing in 17 games in that time (zero in 2018, 10 in 2019, seven in 2020), Johnson was awarded a scholarship.
Standing Out in a Crowd
Breaking through an incredibly deep and dense receiver room is likely the most impressive part of Johnson’s story. To put it into perspective, these are the receivers Ohio State has signed since 2018 when Johnson walked on:
- 2018
- Kamryn Babb, four-star
- L’Christian “Blue” Smith, four-star
- Chris Olave, four-star
- Cameron Brown, four-star
- 2019
- Garrett Wilson, five-star
- Jameson Williams, four-star
- 2020
- Julian Fleming, five-star
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, five-star
- Gee Scott, Jr., four-star
- Mookie Cooper, four-star
- 2021
- Emeka Egbuka, five-star
- Jayden Ballard, four-star
- Marvin Harrison, Jr., four-star
- 2022
- Kyion Grayes, four-star
- Caleb Burton, four-star
- Kaleb Brown, four-star
- Kojo Antwi, four-star
Needless to say, standing out in a way that earns playing time, the Block O jersey, and captainship among this group is impressive. Of the receivers who have since left Ohio State, four were first-round picks, and at least three will hear their name called in the 2023 NFL Draft with Harrison and Egbuka nearly cemented to be selected in the first round.
Earning the Block O
Ever since the NCAA allowed college football players to wear the number zero, Ohio State elected to make the jersey a tradition of honor. Some schools and coaches make players earn single-digit jerseys like Deion Sanders and the number one. The Buckeyes reward their players with the “Block O” jersey.
The tradition was born out of remembering and celebrating Bill Willis, the Buckeyes’ first Black All-American player in program history. The idea is to reward the player who encapsulates what it means to be an Ohio State Buckeye.
Johnson will be the fourth recipient of the jersey following Jonathon Cooper in 2020, Thayer Munford in 2021, and Babb last year.
As a player who overcame being behind the eight-ball right out the gate, climbing the deep depth chart, and becoming a real offensive weapon, Johnson is a perfect choice.
2023 Outlook
Coming into the 2023 season, Johnson is coming off of his best season by far. He was a true dual-threat option as he recorded 13 receptions for 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns while rushing for 146 yards and a score off of 12 attempts. He was even utilized as a kick returner 12 times for 269 yards.
His two receiving touchdowns were go-ahead scores in crucial games against Notre Dame in Week 1 and in the CFP Semi-Final against Georgia. That one rushing touchdown? A 71-yarder against Indiana. This is not a case of a gadget, every-now-and-then player who dominates garbage time. Johnson has a legitimate role in the Ohio State offense and will continue to be utilized in 2023.
Even with serious NFL talent all over the field, Ohio State will be lining up with a new quarterback(s) in 2023. While they could certainly use Harrison or Egbuka to get that quarterback going, Johnson will have a role in giving the quarterback the ideal reads and getting him comfortable. Remember C.J. Stroud‘s first game as QB1? The offense was full of check-downs and bubble screens in the flat to get him going. Then, of course, they took shots down the field to take advantage of the defense sucking in.
Expect more of the same out of Johnson and the offense. He will run the route tree and then come back and take an end-around rush to out-flank the defense. It’s a different offense but look for him to play the Parris Campbell/Curtis Samuel type of role.
Photo courtesy: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
