In a loaded group of skill players, Xavier Johnson is the most versatile player on Ohio State's offense.
And after a busy summer that included getting engaged, buying a house with his now-fiancé and recovering from a foot injury that happened during the spring, the sixth-year senior is ready to have his best season as a Buckeye. Johnson suffered the injury in April, one that forced him to wear a walking boot and miss the rest of the spring, but now he's back and ready to go for his final season in Columbus.
“Just had a little tweak,” Johnson recently told Eleven Warriors. “(The coaches, trainers and I) just thought it would be best to take that easy and prepare for September because that's all that really matters. We're out here trying to put together a team to take our best shot. It starts with Game 1 and being healthy for that is the biggest step.
“It was taking something off my legs and allowing me to be fresher going into camp and into the season and hopefully get a good season out of this 24-year-old body.”
His time off the field in order to recover from his foot injury seemed to do exactly what the coaches and trainers expected it to. With fall camp set to begin Thursday, the wide receiver is feeling better than ever.
“I was running routes actually, this morning, kinda was surprised that I wasn't rusty,” Johnson said. “I would say I’m better than I was when I got injured.”
Johnson’s role has grown very gradually in his first five years at Ohio State. He had just four carries and zero catches in his first four years as a Buckeye before last season. Then, in 2022, he totaled 13 catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 12 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown, a season that Johnson instantly proved he could be a playmaker on Ohio State's offense in addition to his regular playing time on special teams.
He showcased that during Ohio State's win over Notre Dame in the season opener last year with a go-ahead touchdown that gave the Buckeyes the lead for good over the Fighting Irish.
No. 2 @OhioStateFB has the lead. pic.twitter.com/nAKP5Uhuh2
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 4, 2022
If that wasn't good enough, his 71-yard touchdown run against Indiana last November – one in which a number of Hoosiers weren't able to bring him down – was the type of highlight that officially put him on the map.
Xavier Johnson might've just made the entire defense miss a tackle
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 12, 2022
He breaks off for a 71-yard TD for @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/zkpnYtu6En
Oh, and then his 37-yard touchdown against Georgia in the first half of the Peach Bowl, one in which Johnson spun past a defender on his way to the end zone.
Although his stats have never jumped off the page, Johnson has often been one of the names that pops up when Ohio State's offensive coaches talk about their skill players. Part of that is due to the type of person he is and the leader he has become both on and off the field. A candidate to be one of the team captains for the 2023 season, the 24-year-old knows the importance of his leadership, especially as one of the team's three sixth-year seniors (along with Matt Jones and Josh Proctor) this season. That became even more important while he was on the sidelines this spring, which he feels allowed him to become an even better leader that the younger players could lean on.
"I feel like (I was able to be a leader) a lot," Johnson said. "It's one thing to lead on the field but it's a whole other thing to lead when you're off the field. Trying to bring the young guys along and trying to help them and help even off the field because it's a different perspective. For me, I learned a lot of football while I was off the field and in more of an observational role. ... I learned how to better communicate what I'm seeing. And even picking up on little things and watching Marvin and different guys play, trying to learn from them and implement that into my game."
In a loaded group of skill players that includes wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming, Jayden Ballard, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss and Noah Rogers to go along with running backs TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams, Dallan Hayden, Chip Trayanum and Evan Pryor, among others, it's Johnson's ability to play both positions that allows him to stand out. He has also played cornerback and become a staple on special teams during his time as a Buckeye.
Last season, Johnson played 207 snaps on offense and a team-high 255 snaps on special teams. While lining up both in the backfield as a running back and out wide as a receiver, the do-it-all playmaker gained 297 yards and three touchdowns on just 25 total offensive touches. He also served as the Buckeyes’ lead kickoff returner, gaining 269 yards on 12 returns and played on Ohio State’s kickoff coverage, punt and punt block units, where he recovered a pair of blocked punts in 2022.
During Brian Hartline's presentation at Ohio State's coaches clinic before the spring game in April, the first-year offensive coordinator made sure to mention Johnson and gave him some very high praise.
“Easily a top-four-round draft pick next year,” Hartline said while showing a clip of Johnson running through a drill in practice. “Quote me on that.”
In March, Hartline stated that the Buckeyes must find ways to utilize Johnson's versatility and playmaking ability, no matter where he might be lined up on the field. In order to be a top-four-round draft pick in 2024, making Johnson a bigger part of the offense is a must.
“I think Xavier Johnson is a really good receiver and a really good running back. So it's our job to find ways to use that,” Hartline said in March. “He has a great skill set. Maybe limited here or there, that's our job to identify and not put him in tough situations. But I think highly of him as both.
“Xavier’s awesome. The growth he's had over the last 12-18 months has been awesome. A true offensive weapon,” Hartline said this spring. “I mean, his ability to be an elite receiver and also go in the backfield and carry the football, pick up protections, I mean there's so many things that young man brings to the table, let alone special teams. To me, he's gonna play football for a long time.”
Entering fall camp, Johnson expects to have an even bigger impact. No matter where it might be, the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder is ready to be a playmaker and have a more prominent role for Ohio State this fall, especially on offense.
"I'm very excited for my role, in whatever capacity I can help the team win," Johnson said. "In whatever capacity we can take our best shot at a national championship. That's what we've been talking about, coming up inches shorts, it's unacceptable. It's happened too often. And so this year we're kind of emptying the chamber and I'm going to be a part of that in whatever role they invite me into. However I can do that and glorify the Lord on the field, I'm here for it."
