Hello, it it my absolute pleasure to introduce you to high school running back Joshua Johnson, who checks in at 6’3’’, 350 pounds. Yes, you read that right — he’s 350 pounds, and he’s an absolute unit:
OH MY GOD! A 350-LB WILDCAT QB??? This kid is an absolute unit! @BunkiePerkins pic.twitter.com/UuBK8viyB5
— Patrick Netherton (@PTNetherton) October 2, 2018
Johnson, who naturally goes by the nickname “Bubba,” goes to Calumet New Tech High School in Gary, Ind., and he’s listed on Hudl as a a defensive tackle/offensive lineman/athlete. According to MaxPreps, Johnson has 144 yards and two touchdowns, and has even completed a couple passes. Per the Northwest Indiana Times, Johnson goes into the offense in a “flex” package, and he’s always part of the play call in some way.
“We originally put it in at first as a gimmick for short yardage,” Calumet coach Rick Good said via the newspaper. “It’s about as crazy as it gets with a 350-pound guy playing back there. He’s so smart and so adaptive to whatever we need him to do. He’s really a pretty special athlete. The electricity in the stadium once he gets past that first level, it’s really pretty crazy. It’s really cool.”
Given SB Nation’s deep love for big men doing things with the football — so much so that we started a Piesman Trophy celebrating this very thing — I think we should give Johnson an honorary nomination for the trophy. I’ll have to speak with my colleagues about pushing this forward.
“I’m a point guard at heart, so I always challenge myself to do little-guy things,” Johnson added via the newspaper. “I’ve got good footwork, and I’ve got good balance, so I just challenge myself to do something new every day, and when the opportunity presented itself for me to run the ball, I said, ‘Hell yeah.’”
Here’s another highlight tape for you, you’re welcome.
We salute you, Joshua Johnson.