Pitt Wideout Kenny Johnson Knows He Belongs in Pittsburgh Now

Kenny Johnson was used to stepping onto a field — any field — and being the best football player there. In his case, it’s not bragging to say that high school was too easy. It was like a field day every Friday night. But he learned that it doesn’t last forever.

It was a humbling experience. It took two and a half months for Johnson to finally feel like he belonged in Pittsburgh after moving from York, Pennsylvania in June.

“Our defense is just so good,” Johnson said Tuesday after practice. “So, you go against one of the best defenses, and you’re running against them and you’re like, ‘I’m not getting any separation, I’m running the wrong routes.’ It took me longer than I wanted to get adjusted.”

But Johnson, whose last act as a high schooler was to win MVP honors in the Big 33 game (an All-Star event between the best high school football players in Pennsylvania and Maryland), did adjust. The biggest difference between Day 1 and Day 10 or 20 or 30 wasn’t anything he was doing though. It was the support of his new family.

“The confidence that my teammates had in me, and my coaches had in me,” Johnson said. “I have a village behind me, the whole team supports me, the coaching staff, so it’s easy when you have those guys supporting you.”

Johnson was the breakout star of summer camp, earning praise from just about every player and coach who spoke to the media throughout August, and there were expectations placed upon his shoulders. Fairly or not.

In a wide receiving corps that had plenty of questions entering camp, Johnson was expected to be a reason — among many reasons — why the unit would be better than many expected. It hasn’t quite worked out, but it’s not because of Johnson.

He debuted against Wofford in the season opener, recorded a few snaps against Cincinnati and West Virginia and it appears as though he’s finally turned the corner on the field after his performance against North Carolina — receiving 20 snaps.

Pitt attempted to utilize Johnson’s speed against UNC, giving him three jet sweeps (that he took for 20 yards), but it was his impact in the return game that stood out.

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If you go back and compare the clips, it’s easy to see the similarities between Israel Abanikanda’s kick return touchdown against Virginia in 2021 and Johnson’s against North Carolina Saturday night.

Johnson already has a few things in common with New York Jets running back Israel Abanikanda, too.

They’ve both worn No. 2 at Pitt, they’ve both played as true freshmen at Pitt and after Saturday night, they’ve both returned kickoffs for touchdowns at Acrisure Stadium. Johnson’s was just two yards longer.

But everything he does now, since switching his jersey from No. 35 to 2 just before the season, is in the pursuit of continuing the legacy that Abanikanda furthered.

“So, honestly, it was a toss-up between 2 and 10, I didn’t know which one I was gonna get, and honestly, I liked 35,” Johnson said Tuesday after practice. “It was different. But I guess Duzz, he said, ‘You earned a change.’ I wanted to just because it’s a special number, you saw what Izzy did with it, and I just want to make sure that he passed the torch to the right person. And keep being legendary with No. 2.”

It certainly looked like Pitt passed the torch to the right player as Johnson raced up the sideline against UNC, hitting 21.1 miles per hour in the process, and while it’s that speed that brings back memories of Abanikanda exploding through opposing defenses and kick coverages, Johnson couldn’t take credit for his touchdown.

He felt like he was in a movie as he fielded the UNC kickoff in the third quarter, looking up and seeing the back of his blockers’ jerseys and a ton of green grass, but it wouldn’t have been possible without his blockers clearing the way before him.

“I’m returning it, but my job is easy, their job is impossible almost,” Johnson said. “They have to run back, set their feet and take on a full speed block. So, those guys put their body on the line for me, so the least I can do is get in the end zone.”

As the Noah Burnette kickoff sailed through the air, Johnson had time to look and see that the Pitt coverage team was further downfield than usual, which made it harder for them but easier for him. Pitt slide its protection, C’Bo Flemister called out for Johnson to follow him and filled the backside gap.

“Oh, yeah, this is the one,” Johnson thought to himself as he raced through the hole, his speed on full display as he ran nearly untouched to the end zone. There were a lot of things that he wishes he could do differently against UNC, but it was a great feeling to reach the end zone.

In just two games returning kicks, he’s second in the NCAA in kick return average (37.6 yards per return) and is one of just 13 players to have returned a kick for a touchdown through four weeks. And now that he’s entrenched as Pitt’s kick returner, and working his way into the wide receiver’s rotation, it could be time to let him learn on the fly.

Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Kenny Johnson (2) September 2, 2023 David Hague/PSN

The trust that the coaching staff is showing Johnson this season already means a lot.

Johnson, obviously, is a young wide receiver who is barely four months into his collegiate career. He arrived, adapted and thrived. And that hard work and dedication is starting to shine on the football field now, too. He wants to show that he’s ready.

“It’s the little stuff, like staying off lists, just not being in trouble, being seen not heard,” Johnson said. “Making those plays instead of being one of those guys you have to worry about. I want my coaches to say, ‘Throw him out there, he’s okay,’ not, ‘Oh, let’s make sure he’s doing the right thing.’”

It was hard to adapt on the field, battling the likes of Marquis Williams and M.J. Devonshire on the practice field, but it wasn’t hard to adapt off the field. If there was a meeting, Johnson was there. If there was a chance for extra work outside of practice or more film study, he was there. He’s taken any chance available to get better — and that’s only shown his dedication.

“I just wanna find my place in the offense,” Johnson said.

He pointed to a three-headed monster at running back, an offensive line that is learning and growing every week and a couple of quarterbacks who are trying to find their rhythm in the offense. He believes the wide receiving corps is as talented as any unit in the country, and it’s only a matter of time before that shows.

“It’s rough, obviously, losing with all the talent we have,” Johnson said. “But it’s football, football is played on the field, not on paper. So, its’ a lot of stuff going on between the lines that we needed to fix. We’re right there. We could be undefeated right now.”

It remains to be seen how exactly the Pitt wide receiving corps will shake out this season, but if there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that Johnson is now part of the present and future of the room.