Port Neches-Groves quarterback Roschon Johnson made headlines when he committed to Texas in late July, giving the Longhorns their first (and to this date, only) commitment for the 2019 recruiting class. Since that time, Johnson has had a lot on his mind. The standout prospect had turned his focus towards what should be a highly-successful junior season before Hurricane Harvey forced Johnson and his family to leave their home.
On Saturday, Johnson did get a break from reality for a bit, with the Rivals250 member making his way to Austin for a bit of an escape to watch the Texas Longhorns’ season-opener. The outcome wasn’t what Johnson was expecting, with Texas falling to Maryland, but Johnson said it was still a great experience overall.
“It was pretty good. That was my first UT game,” Johnson said. “It was a fun experience to finally get to see in person.”
Like most observers, Johnson was shocked that Texas lost in its first game under new head coach Tom Herman, but he said he got a chance to talk to offensive coordinator Tim Beck after the game and Beck is confident the Longhorns can get things turned around quickly.
“They were talking about things they could have done better. I talked to coach beck, he was just going over it, certain stuff they could have done,” Johnson said. “He was just saying a couple mistakes they had during the game, he could have controlled, done some different stuff with Shane (Buechele).
“Most of the stuff he was talking about was very fixable. It was nothing that can’t be coached. It was just personal mistakes.”
Johnson is hoping he can return to Austin this weekend for the Longhorns’ game against San Jose State, but said it will depend on whether or not Port Neches-Groves is able to play its game on Friday. The team’s first game was canceled.
As for his commitment to Texas, the 6-2, 185-pound Johnson said he still feels good about his decision and last weekend’s slow start by the Longhorns hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm.
“It doesn’t discourage me in any way. I know the coaches, I know what they’ve been doing and what they really stand for,” Johnson said. “If anything, it strengthens my commitment. I just want to go in and help them out.”
Note: During our conversation with Johnson, he and his family were literally on their way back to their house for the first time in more than a week after evacuating due to Hurricane Harvey. Best of luck to Johnson and his family as they work through these difficult times.
“We’re actually just getting back right now. We don’t k now how it looks right now,” Johnson said. “We’re five minutes away right now. So far, from what people have told us, they told us most likely we will have water in the first story of (their home), but people in our area said it wasn’t that bad.”
