Former ‘Last Chance U’ Star QB De’Andre Johnson Has a New Job
De’Andre Johnson has officially begun the next chapter of his life.
Johnson, the highly-touted quarterback who starred on the second season of Netflix’s Last Chance U, officially finished his college football career last year.
After he went unselected in April’s NFL draft, Johnson has found a place where he can stay close to football and give back. Here’s the latest on the fan-favorite quarterback.
De’Andre Johnson starred on the second season of ‘Last Chance U’
Originally, De’Andre Johnson intended to replace Jameis Winston as Florida State’s quarterback of the future.
An off-field incident resulted in his dismissal — Johnson enrolled early and participated in the Seminoles’ spring game in 2015 — and his subsequent transfer to East Mississippi Community College.
His redshirt freshman season there, when Johnson won the starting quarterback job, coincided the filming of Last Chance U’s second season. Johnson completed 61% of his passes for 2,645 yards and 26 touchdowns.
The dual-threat quarterback also totaled 834 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. EMCC won the MACJC Championship and the Mississippi State Bowl State Championship.
Johnson ended his college career last year
De’Andre Johnson and another EMCC teammate, defensive end Tim Bonner, each signed with Florida Atlantic after the 2016 season.
Johnson opened the 2017 season as the backup quarterback. He played in just one game, though, before blood clots in his arm shelved him for the season.
Johnson watched from the sidelines as FAU went 11-3 under Lane Kiffin. He competed in the next quarterback battle but opened the 2018 season as the third-string option.
Johnson got his chances in blowouts, though, and earned increased playing time as the season went on. FAU nonetheless finished 5-7 and missed the postseason.
Johnson completed 57.7% of his passes for 166 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in two seasonsa at FAU. He averaged 5.4 yards per attempt on 35 carries (178 yards) and scored a touchdown.
Johnson transferred to Texas Southern, an FCS program, in December 2018. Johnson completed 60.2% of his passes for 1,927 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions at Texas Southern last year.
The veteran quarterback added three rushing touchdowns for the Tigers, who finished 0-11 in head coach Clarence McKinney’s first season.
De’Andre Johnson has a new football-related job
De’Andre Johnson went unselected in the 2020 NFL draft. The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on rookie minicamps didn’t allow him to build his case in front of a team.
Still, Johnson is staying close to football and giving back in the process. J.P. Tillman, a private quarterback coach in Houston, tweeted on August 10 that Johnson is the newest quarterback trainer at Five Star General Academy.
Sessions with Johnson weren’t yet listed on the academy’s site at publication. Quarterbacks can pay for everything from private training sessions to group workouts.
According to a booking site, one private session with Tillman, a former Missouri quarterback who later starred at Grambling State, costs $130. Ten of those sessions cost $1,000, or $100 per session.
De’Andre Johnson’s professional football dreams have been placed on hold for now. This new opportunity will at least help him and the next generation.
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