Before Duke Johnson was running wild on the football field at Miami’s Norland High, his friends and teammates knew he had special abilities.
Looking back nearly a decade, one of his childhood friends, Devonta Freeman, could tell.
“I knew he was going to be fast,” said Freeman, who played for Miami Central and is now a sophomore tailback at Florida State. “He’s one of those Reggie Bush-type guys. I’ve always seen it in him. I always just knew he was going to be that kind of guy.”
Johnson has run for 428 yards and five touchdowns in seven games for Miami, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. The fact that the true freshman has been able to earn playing time isn’t a surprise to FSU corner Xavier Rhodes, who also went to Norland. Rhodes played wide receiver and tailback in high school and was a senior when Johnson was a freshman.
“He skipped JV and went to varsity,” Rhodes said. “He was real good.”
Rhodes, Freeman and Johnson will be on the same field again Saturday night when No. 12 FSU (6-1, 3-1 ACC) faces Miami (4-3, 3-1) at Sun Life Stadium.
The Seminoles are fifth in the Football Bowl Subdivision against the run, allowing just 74.8 yards per game. And while Miami’s rushing offense is ranked 86th, the Seminoles aren’t taking Johnson lightly.
“If it was me last season, I would have been like, ‘He’s a freshman,’ ”FSU junior safety Lamarcus Joyner said. “But after experiencing that nightmare of (Clemson receiver) Sammy Watkins, we are going to prepare for him.
“We are going to treat him like a man. He has our attention. You came in, you’re highly recruited, you’re doing good for UM, so we’re going to treat you like a man. We know he’s a threat. We’re going to go hard. The D-line and linebackers know what to do with him. And if he gets past those guys, the secondary knows what to do with him.”
