PJ Johnson smiled and laughed, flashing the shiny gold grill that covers his teeth. He’s in a good place right now: playing a key role at nose tackle for the Arizona Wildcats, who host USC on Saturday.
That he has come this far is a testament to his perseverance. As Johnson told a small media gathering Tuesday, “I’ve been through a lot of things in my life.”
Those things include a near-death experience.
One day during his freshman year at Sacramento State, Johnson began feeling abdominal pain while hanging out with friends. In the middle of the night, he woke up and couldn’t stop vomiting.
His mother thought he was being dramatic. When the symptoms persisted, he finally told her: “Take me to the hospital now. I feel like I’m going to die.”
It turned out that Johnson’s appendix had burst. He was in and out of the hospital for six weeks. He had internal bleeding. His intestines didn’t function properly. He lost 60 pounds.
“It was real bad,” Johnson said.
About that same time, Johnson found out he was going to be a father. It was all the incentive he needed to get better and get back on the field.
“I was in a dark place,” Johnson said. “That helped me fight through everything. That’s my motivation to do anything. I will strive to never fail so I can give my kids a better life.”
Arizona Wildcats defensive end PJ Johnson runs in the direction line coach Iona Uiagalelei motions during the University of Arizona Wildcats football practice on campus, Aug. 9, 2018, in Tucson, Ariz.
Johnson is now a father of two: Tolu, who’s about to turn 3, and Kiara, 6 months.
Johnson recently posted a picture of himself in his red UA uniform, with his son and daughter on his lap. That image perfectly encapsulates the player teammate Tony Fields II calls a “big grizzly bear.”
“He’s angry on the field,” Fields said. “But off the field, he’s the softest bear ever.”
Tolu and Kiara are never far from Johnson’s thoughts. Everything he does, he does for them.
“I come from a place, if you don’t find something to motivate you, then you’re not going to do nothing,” Johnson said.
Johnson is a proud representative of Sacramento who rarely bypasses an opportunity to celebrate the exploits of others from the 916 area code. His distinctive look — dreadlocks and that shimmering grill — was born in NorCal.
“That’s what made me who I am,” Johnson said. “If you represent where you came from, the city will take care of you.”
Johnson stayed home to go to school and play football. After redshirting in 2014 and recovering from the burst appendix, he appeared in 11 games for Sac State in ’15, totaling 13 tackles. The following season, he encountered more physical problems.
One day at practice, Johnson made a move “and it felt like my leg snapped,” he said. “I was screaming.”
Tests revealed a tumor in Johnson’s right leg. Sac State didn’t handle the situation to Johnson’s liking, he said. Eventually, he had to get his own health insurance. In January 2017, he had the tumor removed.
Johnson was out of commission for about three months. He transferred to City College of San Francisco, where he registered 8.5 tackles for loss, including 4.5 sacks, last season.
About a week before the start of the early signing period in December, Johnson was visiting UNLV. Then-Arizona defensive line coach Vince Amey reached out to him.
“It was like 6 in the morning,” Johnson said. “He was like: ‘I love you. I’m going to talk to RichRod (former UA coach Rich Rodriguez) and see if we can offer you.’ ”
The offer came. Johnson was “juiced,” he said. He held only one other major college offer, from Kansas. He wanted to be closer to his kids, who live in Sacramento.
Additionally, Amey was from Northern California. They formed an instant bond.
“He said some stuff that was relatable,” Johnson said. “I was like, I’ll be around somebody that knows where I come from. Coach Amey made me feel comfortable. I’m a real trust guy. If I don’t trust you, I don’t want to be around you. He gained my trust.”
Less than two weeks after Johnson signed, Arizona fired Rodriguez. Amey would not be retained. Johnson felt lost.
“I was kinda upset,” he said. “I was like, ‘Whoa, I just got here. I don’t know anything already, and then this whole new staff.’”
But Johnson was no stranger to adversity. He had been through much worse.
“I just took it as another thing I had to get through,” Johnson said. “I just attacked it.”
Johnson discovered that he had something in common with new defensive line coach Iona Uiagalelei, who had played and coached in junior college.
Johnson quickly ascended to the first unit, and he started Arizona’s opener against BYU. He missed the next two games because of a sore foot.
Johnson returned for last week’s game against Oregon State. He had two TFLs, including a sack, in UA’s 35-14 victory in Corvallis.
The joy he derived from contributing to the win could be seen from as far away as Tucson. It masked all the pain he has endured.
“I always think: If I quit, then what?” Johnson said. “Might as well keep pushing.”
Extra points
- On Monday, UA coach Kevin Sumlin revealed that linebacker Colin Schooler has been clocked at 20 mph in practice. So who’d win a footrace between Fields and Schooler? “I don’t want to shoot my man down,” Fields said, “but I’m probably the fastest linebacker.”
- Receiver Shawn Poindexter said something fishy happened with the clock at the end of the first half at Oregon State. He caught a 50-yard pass from Khalil Tate, but time expired as Poindexter stepped out of bounds. “That’s what you call home-field advantage,” Poindexter said. “There were 20 seconds when I was getting lined up. … The play didn’t last longer than 10 seconds. If we were at home, we would’ve had the opportunity to kick a field goal.”
- Poindexter was asked about the severity of Tate’s ankle injury, which has bothered him on and off the past three games. Tate has downplayed it in postgame interviews. “Khalil’s still playing at a very high level,” Poindexter said. “That’s a question for Khalil.”
