Two Injuries Later, Ohio State-LSU Transfer JK Johnson Is Ready to Deliver on His Potential

LSU transfer JK Johnson has the potential to be one of the most talented players to join the Cowboys during the Gundy era.

Although potential is just about all Johnson can fall back on these days from a career standpoint that includes five starts and 25 total games played since starting his career at Ohio State in 2021.

“I feel like that I’m actually starting to get my groove again that I felt at a point,” Johnson said. “I feel like I’m taking that next step.”

That could be good news for Oklahoma State. When Johnson initially signed with the Buckeyes, Rivals ranked the corner 49th in the nation while 247Sports ranked him 74th.

Few Cowboys from the last two decades can beat that.

Highest-ranked Cowboys of the Gundy era (Rivals and 247Sports or ESPN prior to 2010):
2007 WR Dez Bryant: ESPN- 29th, Rivals- 54th
2007 Edge Richetti Jones: ESPN- 42nd, Rivals- 69th

Note: Miami transfer, safety Zaquon Patterson, also joined the Cowboys this offseason after ranking 36th (Rivals) and 63rd (247Sports) as a high school prospect.

Johnson’s college career has been anything but a smooth ride. A fracture in his shoulder ended his redshirt freshman season after two appearances in 2021.

“Yeah, it was hard,” Johnson said. “It really took me a minute for real, because after getting hurt your first time, you don’t know what is going to happen next. So really, I just learned not to take nothing for granted. You know, every chance I get, just try to make the best out of it.”

Then, in his first preseason with LSU in 2023, Johnson fractured his ankle, causing him to miss the entire season. At the time, he was competing for a starting spot in the secondary.

“It felt like I ain’t have nothing (then) because football (was) my only thing at the time,” Johnson said.

For months, Johnson said he felt like playing football might not be in the cards for him, but leaning on family, especially after the second injury, helped him overcome those dark days. One positive that came from both setbacks was that it gave Johnson more time to focus on building relationships with people around him.

But the former top recruit still found himself watching plenty of guys from his year get drafted into the NFL from both Ohio State and LSU in recent years.

“Everybody want to go to NFL, but it ain’t your time. … I learned how to be patient,” Johnson said.

Patience wasn’t the only thing he learned.

“I am tough,” Johnson said. “That I can overcome anything. As long as you got your mental right, you can overcome anything.”

Now with Oklahoma State’s 2025 season only a few weeks away, Johnson, who many on the team describe as the fastest Cowboy on the roster, hopes the hard work and the setbacks finally pay off on the field this time.

“It (playing football) means a lot more for real,” Johnson said. “I do play, every time I go on the field, I play with a chip on my shoulder.”