After 3 positions at LSU, Syracuse’s Ju’Juan Johnson anchors down at RB
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It’s Syracuse’s final day of preseason camp, a crisp 71-degree afternoon in the twilight of August. There’s energy in the Ensley Athletic Center as the Orange return from practice and gear up for their first game in nine months.
It’s a new dawn for SU, and one of its highest-touted additions of the offseason is standing in the back of the end zone. Ju’Juan Johnson just wrapped up a long first fall with the Orange after transferring from LSU. Now, he’s fielding some questions from reporters.
The 6-foot, 205-pounder is an athlete in every sense of the word. He’s carried the designation since his sophomore year of high school, when he chose the life of a positionless playmaker rather than pursue quarterback at the Division I level. But it’s a characteristic that’s defined him since he first picked up a football at 5 years old.
That label — the athlete — has been a blessing and a curse for Johnson. The designation signifies versatility to play multiple positions, but also the instability of not knowing where he thrives best. It meant Johnson could play three positions at his dream school, but it also meant he was constantly searching for a permanent place at LSU. He started one game in two years with the Tigers and could never focus on perfecting a single position.
Eventually, he’s asked if playing quarterback came into conversation with Syracuse. If playing multiple positions is still in his plans. For the first time in his life, Johnson can say no.
“I had to start focusing on one,” he says with a smile.
That’s why he’s here. Johnson entered the transfer portal last December and chose Syracuse. Because this opportunity represents stability. He bounced between defensive back, quarterback and running back at LSU, but Johnson is just a running back now. He had a whole offseason to train at the position for the first time in his collegiate career. Although Johnson missed Week 1 with an injury, he’s set to take the reins as one of Syracuse’s lead backs this Saturday — his first real opportunity to break out.
“Even though he played it every fall for the last two years, he was never at running back in the spring,” said Jerry Mitchell, Johnson’s uncle and agent. “This is his first full year playing the position, getting trained, taking care of his body the right way. He’s going to wake up college football this year, I promise you.”
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Johnson was always an active kid, playing flag football as early as age 5, he estimates. His focus was always quarterback, but coaches said he was so talented with the ball in his hands that they gave him wide receiver reps to keep him on the field. He played safety and running back, too.
Mitchell — who became Johnson’s guardian at about 8 years old — enrolled Johnson at Lafayette Christian Academy (Louisiana) in sixth grade. Johnson started high school as the Knights’ backup quarterback, but on the first possession of the 2020 season opener, their starter broke his arm. Just a few days into his freshman year, Johnson stepped in against reigning state champion Acadiana and tossed 26 passes. The Knights lost, but Johnson’s coaches were stunned by his poise.
“He didn’t flinch,” said Trev Faulk, LCA’s head coach at the time. “We knew that he was gonna be special from that point on.”
And Johnson was. Across four years with LCA, Johnson threw for over 10,000 yards and rushed for 3,713, conquering the Louisiana High School Athletic Association total yards and touchdowns record. He reached the state championship game every year.
“He’s the greatest Louisiana high school quarterback ever,” said Hunter Landry, LCA’s head coach from 2023-24. “There was never really a bad play for him. He always made something happen.”
But raw numbers didn’t mean much in Johnson’s recruitment. A few schools viewed him as a quarterback, and his high school coaches thought he could thrive if given the opportunity. Yet, at about 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds as a sophomore, Johnson’s stature didn’t jump off the page.
At an awards banquet that year, he asked Mitchell how he could get D-I looks. Mitchell said, “You’re going to have to go as an athlete,” and asked Johnson whether he’d rather play defensive back or wide receiver. Johnson chose defensive back, so he began training there his sophomore year.
Away from everyday practice, Johnson worked with defensive backs trainer Ken Anio, who developed numerous pros in Louisiana. Johnson’s composure, ability to read defenses and quick feet made it a relatively smooth transition, Mitchell said. Johnson earned his first D-I offer from Nebraska in June 2022, and a few months later, he held 13 D-I offers.
Johnson initially committed to Colorado shortly after the Buffaloes offered him in December 2022. But with time, he rethought the decision. He wanted his family to watch him without the hassle of travel, and LSU — a 60-minute drive from Lafayette — had a tremendous history of developing defensive backs. Johnson flipped to his hometown Tigers in May 2023.
“I didn’t really want to leave (home),” Johnson said. “I wasn’t ready to leave.”
Ju’Juan Johnson evades a defender in LSU’s 49-25 loss to Texas A&M on Oct. 25, 2025. In two years at LSU, Johnson played three different positions. Courtesy of LSU Athletics
Once he arrived on campus, Mitchell said, Johnson was slated to be LSU’s backup “star” — a position combining elements of safety, linebacker and cornerback. Johnson expected to play in the Tigers’ 2024 season opener against USC, but when LSU arrived in Las Vegas for the game, coaches told Johnson they were shuffling the depth chart to favor a more experienced defensive back.
When the team returned to Baton Rouge, coaches told Johnson to redshirt. But he wasn’t interested.
“I told them, ‘Even if I’m on special teams, I want to play,’” Johnson said.
So Johnson played special teams until starting running back John Emery Jr. tore his ACL in early September. Needing depth at the position and knowing what Johnson did in high school, LSU coaches switched Johnson to running back. He totaled five catches, seven carries and 36 total yards as a freshman.
The following offseason, coaches approached Johnson about returning to quarterback. Initially, he was ecstatic. He worked out at QB throughout the spring and fall, but it became increasingly evident Johnson wouldn’t see much playing time behind fifth-year starter Garrett Nussmeier. Johnson said his skill set — making “Patrick Mahomes”-type plays in the backfield — didn’t translate as well to Southeastern Conference football, anyway.
So Johnson returned to running back, this time, for good. In his sophomore year with the Tigers, he ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
“I always had the ball in my hands my whole life, so it was kind of an easy decision for me,” Johnson said of the move to running back. “Who doesn’t want to score touchdowns?”
Simultaneously, things were changing around him at LSU. Head coach Brian Kelly was released in October, and the Tigers replaced him with former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. The program underwent a complete overhaul, as Kiffin brought about 20 Ole Miss staff members to LSU.
The coaching switch added to Johnson’s uncertainty with the Tigers. Mitchell said Kiffin met with Johnson twice after his hiring. Kiffin wanted Johnson to stay. He asked Johnson to choose a position, and the Tigers would make him a contributor.
But Mitchell said that only pushed Johnson away. He’d experienced two years of uncertainty, two years of his talent being spoiled as he bounced from position to position. He wanted a real opportunity to play with a coach who had a plan for him.
“(Johnson) thrives when you put a game in his hands,” Mitchell said. “But he has to know that you’re putting it in his hands. He has to know that he’s one of the guys that’s gonna contribute.”
Ju’Juan Johnson carries the ball in Syracuse football fall camp. Johnson missed Week 1 of the 2026 season with an injury but is set to make his Syracuse debut Saturday against Cal. Courtesy of SU Athletics
Johnson had a plethora of options once he entered the transfer portal. In fact, a few days before he met SU head coach Fran Brown, Johnson planned to enact a do not contact tag as he narrowed his list to a few schools. That’s when Brown stepped in.
Through a connection between Johnson, Jada Richard — an LSU women’s basketball star — and her family, Brown FaceTimed Johnson on Jan. 3. The next day, Johnson and Mitchell flew to Syracuse for an official visit.
Johnson admitted Syracuse was “not on (his) bingo card” for potential destinations, but he resonated with Brown’s outlook and upbringing. Johnson announced his commitment to the Orange on Jan. 6.
He began training with SU in the spring and earned one of Brown’s coveted orange practice jerseys in the fall, indicating he was — at the very least — in the mix to be the Week 1 starter before a minor injury kept him out. In mid-August, Brown hailed Johnson as one of Syracuse’s “champion-level leaders.” Carries won’t be guaranteed in an SU running back room that dominated New Hampshire last week, but Johnson will certainly be toward the top of that list.
“He’s just going to keep getting better now that he’s just one position on offense,” SU offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon said. “I’ve seen him grow tremendously since he’s been here this spring.”
Johnson’s versatility won’t completely be lost on SU’s playbook. His ability to run after the catch makes him viable in the short passing game. Running backs coach Dennis Thomas said Johnson’s experience at quarterback makes it easy for him to identify defensive looks and help in pass protection.
“You can open up the playbook whenever he’s in the game,” Thomas said.
But these days, that versatility doesn’t carry the same burden it used to. That’s why Johnson can comfortably stand on this turf field in Ensley, with a smile on his face, knowing his opportunity is here.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he might wonder what it’d be like if he played quarterback. Maybe he could still be a defensive back. Or even a receiver. In a way, this new chapter of his career marks the termination of every other.
But right now, that might not be a bad thing. He has some certainty. Some stability.
Maybe that’s all he ever needed.
