The numbers that defined Morehouse quarterback Monqavious Johnson out of high school had little to do with completion percentages or passing yards. After all, no recruiter wants to see 3.5 or 31 in those stat columns.
Instead, recruiters from Morehouse and other historically black colleges and universities and Ivy League schools were drawn to those very numbers as presented on Johnson’s transcript. A 3.5 GPA and a 31 ACT score.
“That’s all that (my parents) stressed to me all my life: Stay academically strong,” Johnson said. “Nobody can ever take your education away from you. I’ve always heard that.”
The Region 6-AAAAA Offensive Player of the Year in 2012 went on a handful of recruiting visits, the most memorable was to Princeton. But come signing day, no white and maroon balloons flanked a table with Johnson seated behind it. The soon-to-be M.L. King High grad would go to Morehouse, but not for football.
“I was somewhat disappointed,” Johnson said. He wanted to celebrate with his family, take pictures and enjoy a moment about which high school athletes fantasize. “But I try not to let too much get to me.”
Johnson would stay close to home and attend Morehouse on a full-tuition academic scholarship, enticed by the college’s sense of brotherhood. The academic opportunity ultimately led him back to a role he long found comfort in — the starting quarterback position.
“He’s a brilliant kid,” Morehouse coach Rich Freeman said. “We were able to benefit and save our scholarship money.”
Johnson walked on. He earned himself a spot on the team and eventually earned a partial athletic scholarship to take care of housing costs.
He played in seven games as a freshman, trumping Morehouse’s other two quarterbacks in touchdowns (5), passing yards (639), and completion percentage (55.8).
“I just thought he made more plays in the time that he played than the other young man (sophomore Jordan Tarver) did and he gave us the best opportunity to win last year,” Freeman said.
Freeman said the starting job is now Johnson’s to lose.
Whereas football came with relative ease, adjusting to the rigor of collegiate academics and prioritizing it all presented a far greater challenge. In his first year as a cinema television and emerging media studies student, Johnson finished with a 2.77 GPA.
“(My parents) still praised me, even though it didn’t meet our normal standards because I made it through my first year,” said Johnson, who aspires to go to flight school and become a commercial pilot. “I’m the first of my family to ever go to college.”
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