Richard Johnson Season 2003

12 - Richard JohnsonPosition: Flanker
Class: r-Senior
Height: 5' 10"

Weight: 187 lbs.

High School: Milford Mill Academy
Hometown: Baltimore, Md.

       An experienced player who the coaches are hoping will become more explosive in 2003 ... Worked hard during the spring to get separation faster and to become more consistent in his route execution ... Showed he could carry that over into scrimmage situations ... Underwent ankle surgery after spring practice and should be able to start conditioning by the end of June ... Brings plenty of potential to the receiver positions ... Is a quick, elusive runner who excels in the open field ... Adjusts to the ball and makes catches ... Also handles the Hokies' kickoff return duties ... Had a 91-yard return against Miami last season ... Set a Tech bowl record for kickoff return yards with 118 in the Gator Bowl following the 2001 season ... Seemed poised for a good season in 2001 but was slowed by a nagging hamstring injury for most of the year ... Only played seven offensive snaps over the Hokies' last eight regular-season games ... Played in every game in 2002, including two as a starter ... His summer preparation will be important coming off surgery ... Is expected to compete for the starting flanker duties in the fall ... Coaches would like nothing better than to see him fulfill his potential as a big-play threat ...

2002: Saw action as a receiver, punt returner and kickoff returner during the season ... Caught 14 passes for 147 yards ... Also rushed three times for 22 yards ... Returned 23 kickoffs for an average of 21.1 yards per return with a long of 91 yards ... Returned 14 punts for an average of 7.1 yards per return ... Returned his lone kickoff against Arkansas State 33 yards to start the game ... Also played 11 offensive snaps ... Had a 14-yard punt return and a 20-yard kickoff return in the win over LSU ... Also played 24 offensive snaps ... Returned a kickoff 19 yards against Marshall ... Saw action on 30 offensive plays against the Herd ... Caught an 8-yard pass at Texas A&M ... Also had a 13-yard rush on a reverse in that game ... Made his first career start at Western Michigan ... Caught two passes for 26 yards in that game ... Started at Boston College, returning one punt and four kickoffs ... Also had a catch for seven yards in that game ... Played 27 snaps on offense and returned three kicks against Rutgers ... Registered a career-high four catches against Temple for 40 yards ... Also rushed for nine yards on a reverse ... Played 25 snaps on offense and five on special teams against Pittsburgh ... Caught two passes for 10 yards at Syracuse ... Also saw action on 14 special teams plays ... Made the move to punt returner against West Virginia ... Returned his lone kick 20 yards ... Also had two receptions for six yards ... Came up with a big reception against Virginia, turning a short pass play into a 39-yard reception that set up the game-clinching touchdown ... Returned a kickoff 91 yards at Miami and had an 11-yard catch ... Missed the San Francisco Bowl due to a sprained ankle ... Posted a personal-best 340-pound bench press during the off-season ... Had three catches for 40 yards in one spring scrimmage and two for 35 yards in another ... Ran 20 yards on a reverse and caught two passes for 20 yards in a third spring scrimmage ... Hauled in three passes for 35 yards, ran 26 yards for a touchdown on a reverse and returned a punt 11 yards during the Maroon-White game ...

2001: Caught four passes for 34 yards on the season ... Rushed twice for seven yards and averaged 22.2 yards per kickoff return ... Opened the season with two receptions for 29 yards against Connecticut ... Averaged 24.5 yards on two kickoff returns in that game ... Returned a kickoff 26 yards against Western Michigan ... Had a catch for four yards against Rutgers ... Averaged 23 yards on three returns against UCF ... Did not dress for the West Virginia and Boston College games due to a hamstring injury ... Played in Tech's jayvee game against Hargrave ... Came in at quarterback in that game with Tech down 15-2 and led the team to a 19-15 win ... Threw a 36-yard touchdown pass, caught a pass and rushed four times ... Registered three solo tackles and two tackles for loss as a cornerback in that jayvee game ... Returned to varsity action against Syracuse ... Had a 9-yard rush on a reverse in that game ... Returned three kickoffs for 50 yards with a long of 21 yards at Pittsburgh ... Caught one pass and had a 40-yard kickoff return against top-ranked Miami ... Set a Tech bowl record when he had 118 yards on five kickoff returns against Florida State in the Gator Bowl ... Caught three passes for 69 yards and a touchdown during one of the Hokies' spring scrimmages ... Blocked a punt in another scrimmage ... Hauled in a 10-yard pass during the Maroon-White game ...

2000: Worked at the flanker position during the fall while redshirting ... Improved in seven categories from fall athletic performance testing to spring testing ... Added over 15 pounds to his frame during that span ... Turned in a 450-pound back squat and a 37 1/2-inch vertical jump ... Averaged 4.37 seconds over one group of three 40-yard dashes during Tech's pro timing day ... Caught an 89-yard touchdown pass in Tech's first scrimmage of the spring ... Had five catches for 31 yards in another outing ... Led all receivers in the Maroon-White game with six catches for 49 yards ...

High School: A prep All-American who was listed the No. 5 wide receiver and the No. 28 overall prospect in the nation by SuperPrep ... Saw action at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, free safety, strong safety and cornerback for Coach Reggie Brooks during his varsity career at Milford Mill ... Also returned kicks ... Accumulated nearly 6,000 yards of total offense during his career, passing for 3,343 yards and rushing for 2,430 yards ... Threw for 1,109 yards and 18 touchdowns as a quarterback his senior year ... Added 1,138 yards and 10 TDs on the ground ... Returned three kickoffs for touchdowns ... Posted three interceptions ... Finished with 41 career passing touchdowns and 28 rushing TDs ... Named to The Baltimore Sun's All-Metro team ... A consensus all-state selection as a junior and senior ... Earned SuperPrep and PrepStar All-America honors ... Ranked No. 77 on the National Recruiting Center's list of Top 100 Players ... Rated the Mid-Atlantic Defensive Player of the Year by SuperPrep ... An honorable mention All-USA pick by USA Today ... Listed as the No. 1 player in Maryland and No. 2 player in the Mid-Atlantic Region by SuperPrep ... Picked the No. 4 receiver in the Atlantic Region by PrepStar ... Named the No. 25 safety in the nation by Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report ... Averaged nearly 10 points a game as the starting point guard on the basketball team ...

Personal: Richard M. Johnson ... Born 6/17/82 in Baltimore, MD ... Son of Betty and Rodney Swayne ... Enrolled in secondary education.

Receiving	G	No.	Yds.	Avg.	TD	LG
2001	7	4	34	8.5	0	20
2002	13	14	147	10.5	0	39
Career	20	18	181	10.1	0	39
2002 Receiving Game-by-Game
Arkansas State	1	0	0	0.0	0	0
LSU	1	0	0	0.0	0	0
Marshall	1	0	0	0.0	0	0
at Texas A&M	1	1	8	8.0	0	8
at Western Michigan	1	2	26	13.0	0	14
at Boston College	1	1	7	7.0	0	7
Rutgers	1	0	0	0.0	0	0
Temple	1	4	40	10.0	0	18
Pittsburgh	1	0	0	0.0	0	0
at Syracuse	1	2	10	5.0	0	6
West Virginia	1	2	6	3.0	0	4
Virginia	1	1	39	39.0	0	39
at Miami	1	1	11	11.0	0	11
vs Air Force	Did not play
Kickoff Returns	G	No.	Yds.	Avg.	TD	LG
2001	7	12	267	22.2	0	40
2002	13	23	485	21.1	0	91
Career	20	35	752	21.5	0	91
Punt Returns	G	No.	Yds.	Avg.	TD	LG
2002	13	14	100	7.1	0	20

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