Just playing in a college football game again after 1,001 days away was a huge milestone for Cal defensive lineman Brett Johnson.
But it didn’t end for the Phoenix native on Sept. 2 in Denton, Texas, where the Golden Bears opened their season with a 58-21 victory over North Texas.
Johnson played all 12 regular-season games for the Bears and will be in the starting lineup again Saturday when Cal faces Texas Tech at the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana.
“Missing two years with very significant injuries . . . not a lot of people can bounce back from that and play in every game,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “Brett is an incredibly tough guy, mentally and physically. He’s meant a lot to our team, on the field and just what he brings off the field . . . the work ethic and the toughness. I’m really proud of him.”
Johnson was among 15 semifinalists for a national comeback player of the year award, sponsored by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) in association with The Associated Press and the Fiesta Bowl Organization.
He didn’t need to win the award to convince those around him of his remarkable return from a dark place.
When he stepped on the field back in September it was his first game since Dec. 5, 2020, when the Bears beat Oregon 21-17 in their final game of the shortened COVID season.
He fractured his hip in a car accident the next spring, missed the 2021 season, worked to get healthy, then tore his ACL during fall camp in 2022 and missed another full season.
“I’m happy that he got to get out there and compete. I know he loves playing football, loves the physical aspect of football,” Wilcox said. “It was great to see him come off of two years and some long roads in rehab and to be able to get back out there and play.”
Defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon said it’s the tedious, often painful rehab that makes the journey so difficult.
“I’m extremely proud of his perseverance,” Sirmon said. “He’s had some significant setbacks and for him to continue on the path of being a great teammate, being a productive player for our team, overcoming those challenges, that’s a lot.
“The injury part of football is something we’re all aware of. However, the loneliness I think you experience when you’re having those long-term rehabs, no one’s there to share that burden with a player. For him to come back from those two back-to-backs, I’m really proud of him as a young man.”
Johnson totaled 23 tackles, 0.5 sacks, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery over 12 games. He started slowly, then became more productive.
“I thought he got better as the season went on, which is another testament to how he handled it, to the relationship that he and (defensive line) coach (Andrew) Browning share, that they can be constructive and extremely honest with each other,” Sirmon said.
“And good feedback going back and forth on how he’s feeling on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and what they did to help him get to Saturday afternoons.”
Wilcox said Johnson has “done a good job,” but allowed that there’s always room for improvement.
“Again, to come off of those injuries in back-to-back years and to play the game at the level he has I think it really an impressive feat.”
Johnson was unavailable to be interviewed for this story but Wilcox said he expects the 6-foot-5, 295-pounder to return to Cal in 2024.
“I do, but Brett’s got decisions to make, like a lot of these guys. There’s a lot to be considered. There’s more discussions that are going to take place,” Wilcox said. “Ultimately, we’re going to support Brett in whatever he wants to do because he’s given a lot to this program.
“We want to help him do whatever he wants to do next but there’s still some decisions to make there.”
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