The First Coast Buccaneers entered the 2013 season with high expectations of making a deep playoff run. They had depth, talent, and an excellent head coach in Marty Lee, who has turned the program around. They also had De’Andre Johnson, the talented 6’1″, 175-pounds junior from New York, who has been one of the best quarterbacks in Northeast Florida since his freshman year.
Since Johnson arrived at First Coast, the Buccaneers have been one of the best teams in Jacksonville, Florida. Johnson has done what few freshman quarterbacks have, and that’s take his team to the state championship game in his first year and afterwards committing to Division I powerhouse FSU, all in the same year. “[Head coach] Jimbo Fisher is a genius and will use me to the best of my ability and prepare me for the next level. [Also] football only lasts six months. FSU has a lot of positive functions for the students to take part in around the campus. Believe it or not, I am really excited about going to watch the other student athletes compete at track meets. ACC Basketball is going to be incredible, gymnastics, tennis, softball, baseball. You will see me at any sporting event we have at FSU,” Johnson says.
Fisher has compared Johnson to Charlie Ward while other scouts have compared him to Russell Wilson. Johnson has already committed to playing in the Under Armor All-American game in 2015. While other high school students spend their summer having fun, Johnson spends his working on becoming a better quarterback. Johnson also finds time to get the job done in the classroom, maintaining a 3.71 grade point average.
Lee refers to Johnson as the ideal student athlete you would want as a son. “There’s a ton of athletes walking around our school but not all of them have what it takes to be out there on Friday nights,” Lee says.
Through studying film and extensive strength and conditioning training, Johnson is making strides toward becoming one of the most elite quarterbacks of his class. “My goal is to master the art of quarterbacking,” Johnson says.
He put up monster numbers as a freshman by throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 24 touchdowns. In his sophomore year, he threw for nearly 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. And this past season, he threw for more than 3,000 yards, 31 passing touchdowns and rushed for nine touchdowns. At this pace, he will be recognized as one of Florida’s elite high school quarterbacks for the Class of 2015. Going into the 2014 season, the Buccaneers’ goal is to win the District 8A championship and then win the district 8A state championship. In addition to his team goals, Johnson has set even bigger personal goals. “Continuing to grow mentally and physically into a college quarterback,” he says.
Johnson’s Favorites:
Sport you wish you could play: Basketball
Favorite athlete: Peyton Manning
Favorite NFL team: NY Jets
Last movie: Remember The Titans
Favorite super power: Super Strong
Favorite person to meet: Fitness Guru Todd Durkin
Favorite place to travel: New York
Player Spotlight / Jacksonville Florida / March 2013
De’Andre Johnson
First Coast High School
Jacksonville, FL
By Joey Lopes
