Profiles In Terpage - A Countdown to the Football Season: Jeremiah Johnson

Next up is one of Maryland's two starting corners.

Jeremiah Johnson (RS), Junior, Cornerback, #14

via grfx.cstv.com

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 190

Twitter: @JJyoungterp

Collegiate Stats: 48 tackles (36 solo), five for a loss, one-and-a-half sacks, eight passes defended, one fumble forced

High School Stats: 99 tackles and four interceptions, 11 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns

Recruiting Ratings: Three stars by Rivals (#20 in Maryland), two stars by Scout (#121 S), ESPN (#78 CB)

High School: Suitland

Hometown: Forestville, Md.

High School Highlights:

How'd He Get to College Park?

In 2008, Suitland's head coach, Nick Lynch, tragically died in a car accident. I'll let new head coach Ed Shields, by way of Matt Bracken, tell the rest of the story:

"We lost our head coach last year," said Ed Shields, who was elevated from defensive backs coach to head coach after Lynch’s passing, "and Jeremiah really took over team leadership. We didn’t go as far as we would have liked to go during the season, but to come back from that type of stuff [was impressive]. ... It was a time where you needed people to stand up and he was one of the people who stood up. Every time you go out on the field, at least in the beginning, you started to think about our coach. He was a big presence and he had a big affect on their lives. So anybody that helps you get through that transition period ... is a big deal. He really helped pull everyone together and helped keep the kids focused."

Johnson, the new team captain, helped lead the team to a 9-2 record and an appearance in the 4A semifinals. He was moved from cornerback to safety to become more involved in the defense - Shields said it was the only way to stop opposing teams from completely avoiding Johnson.

Maryland was the first school to offer Johnson, and it took him all of five minutes to accept. He redshirted his first season, and then played nine games as a back-up corner and on special teams two years ago. He was then immediately elevated to a starting position - playing extremely well and starting every game of the year. Johnson led the team in pass break ups (and was 18th in the conference), and had probably his best game against William & Mary, recording seven tackles with one-and-a-half sacks. Later on in the year, he equaled that total with seven tackles against NC State.

Nickname:

"J.J."

Career Highlight:

Twice recording seven tackles last year.

Dream Season:

Johnson becomes the lock-down corner he showed signs of last season.

2013 Prospectus:

There is no question surrounding who will start at corner for Maryland - it is undoubtedly Johnson and Dexter McDougle. There is, however, a competition for who becomes the number one guy. The depth chart does not list cornerback one and cornerback two, as it has in past years, but the general thought is that McDougle, as the older player with more game-time experience, would be the guy.

Johnson, however, was arguably the better corner last year - he was certainly more consistent, and was better in coverage (McDougle is a superior tackler). McDougle was fantastic in stints, and we'll talk about this more later, but had his moments of lapses, while Johnson had a quietly great season.

That being said, it's most likely that the Terps dictate the corner spots depending on match-ups. Instead of setting a true number one and number two corner, they will probably look at the opposing wide receivers in an upcoming game, and decide who between Johnson and McDougle should be covering whom. Johnson's a bit taller, although they're both around 6'0", and they're both very quick - between the two of them, Maryland has an experienced and talented cornerbacking duo.

Up Next:

The next player is mind-numbingly obvious, so we're going to throw something else out there. Which two NFL teams have the most Terps on their roster? You must include both teams and all of the players.

ClickClack62 expands the lead.

Standings:

ClickClack62 - 6
curterp - 3
Maryland1206 - 3
Redturtle - 2
802Terp - 2
proudterp - 1
terpsfinish - 1
KHemer - 1
apgibson24 - 1
Seaville81 -1