Luke Johnson Commits to Central Oklahoma University for Football
By FRED KRONER
Going away to college won’t be as difficult for Mahomet-Seymour senior Luke Johnson as it might be for others.
Since the teen-ager was born in North Carolina, he has lived in seven states with his family, relocating to Mahomet in the summer of 2019, shortly before he began eighth-grade.
With his father (Daniel) being in the Army, moves were frequent in Luke’s younger years. He has also lived in Arizona, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kansas and Georgia before arriving in Central Illinois.
The M-S football standout – a four-year varsity letter winner – will be returning to familiar territory in the summer. He has committed to playing football at Central Oklahoma University, an NCAA Division II college of approximately 12,000 students located in Edmond.
Johnson won’t be far away from “home.” His father is retiring this summer and the family is also moving to Oklahoma, about 30 miles from the university.
A running back, Johnson had offers from numerous smaller schools, including: Ottawa (Kansas), Olivet Nazarene University (Illinois), Missouri Baptist, St. Francis (Illinois), Wooster (Ohio), Carthage College (Wisconsin) and Dordt (Iowa).
“I really had it narrowed down to Ottawa or Olivet,” Johnson said.
Before he finalized any decisions, an unexpected offer was presented in January.
“A great opportunity for a walk-on tryout (on Jan.19) came up at the University of Central Oklahoma,” Johnson said, “and I decided to go.
“I ended up showing out and got offered 30 minutes after the tryout.”
He didn’t wait long to accept, committing a few days later, “because it is a great school and is closer to where my parents are moving.
“I also thought the coaches would offer me some great coaching, and the facilities are very top tier as well.”
On Feb. 6, he signed his national letter of intent, fulfilling a dream years in the making.
“I started playing and watching football in fifth grade and I started to develop a big passion for it, and wanted to be as good as I could be, and play as long as I could play,” Johnson said. “I set the goal to play college football probably in the sixth grade.
“I started to realize that the only way to achieve this goal was to work as hard as I could, and that’s what I did.”
The invitation to try out was unexpected since Illinois is not a prime recruiting area for the University of Central Oklahoma.
“With that school recruiting primarily in the Oklahoma/Texas area I didn’t have much contact with them,” Johnson said, “but knew it was a school I wanted to go to.”
Johnson’s original sport of choice was hockey, which he took up while living in Kansas.
“When I moved to Georgia, I had to quit because there was none down there,” Johnson said.
He wasn’t sidelined from sports for long.
“I played football and loved it,” he said.
His early years in sports showed that he wasn’t a natural athlete, but that revelation didn’t diminish his desire.
“When I was younger, I didn’t start loving sports until about third grade when I got into hockey,” Johnson said. “Back then I was a mediocre athlete, and my parents didn’t think I would excel in sports.
“Once I grew into my body, and especially started playing football, I started to get the idea to play in college and worked towards that goal.
“I love football because of how physical and tough it is, and how you have to be a very well-rounded athlete to play it. I think my No. 1 strength is my power when running, and my balance, patterned with my acceleration, to be able to hit a hole fast.”
As a novice in the sport of football, though, he wasn’t an immediate dynamo.
“When I first started, I had my moments,” Johnson said. “I was very inexperienced, so I mostly was just good at defense because I didn’t understand the game as well.
“I played O-line and D-line, and being one of the bigger, stronger kids out there I was able to make a lot of plays. I was pretty bad at running back then, though, because I didn’t know how to lower my shoulder.”
With time, and a dedication to the game, Johnson emerged as an impact player with Mahomet-Seymour. He was one of two freshmen promoted to the varsity (along with Jack Gallier) for the 2020 season (which was actually played in the spring of 2021, due to COVID-19).
Bulldog head coach Jon Adkins said it wasn’t a difficult decision to make.
“There was no question,” Adkins said. “Luke was physically developed and ready to go for the varsity level as a freshman.
“That was a testament to his work ethic. He did what it took to get his body ready for that opportunity.”
Johnson played tight end as an eighth-grader, but transitioned to the backfield as a ninth-grader.
“I decided to switch to running back because I felt I could help the team greater there,” he said. “I also played linebacker that year, but I definitely think offense is where I play my best.”
Development was expected and was a constant during his four-year career.
“I would say his vision is what I noticed most improved over the years,” Adkins said. “He could see how things were going to develop and then make the correct read/cut when needed.
“I think this just adds to his overall agility, which is a strong suit of his. Anytime you can get one of the strongest kids in your program, as well as one of the fastest, and he can add lateral quickness and vision to his game, it just makes him a special player.”
During his prep career, Johnson amassed almost 3,000 all-purpose yards, despite spending the majority of his freshmen year on defense as a linebacker.
He accumulated 2,442 rushing yards and added another 544 receiving yards. He scored 34 touchdowns for the Bulldogs.
“Luke Johnson is a coach’s dream,” Adkins said. “He’s an incredibly hard worker and one of the strongest pound-for-pound kids you’ll ever find.
“He was an absolute workhorse for us and a four-year varsity starter, which is saying a lot. Luke is going to be outstanding at the next level because of his drive and determination to be great.”
His quick promotion to the varsity with the Bulldogs – though difficult at times – could prove beneficial as Johnson makes the jump to the collegiate level.
“Playing on varsity as a freshman definitely helped my development drastically,” Johnson said. “It made me uncomfortable because I was a 14-year-old kid playing against guys who could legally adopt me.
“It scared me and forced me to grow up and learn how to use other aspects of my game because up to that point I’d always been the biggest, fastest, and strongest kid.
“Then that all changed and it brought out a better version of me.”
His parents (Daniel and Holly) were instrumental in his steady progression.
“I credit a lot to my parents for my development,” he said. “I think all the camps they took me to also helped a lot.
“Being able to drive down to Oklahoma and compete against top level talent, helped me gain a lot of skill and confidence.
“The recruiting process was tiring. I’m very thankful to my parents for helping me through it and driving me around everywhere to take visits.”
The 5-foot-11, Johnson started his senior season in football at 190 pounds, but is spending the offseason – and his fourth year in track and field – as a time to build more strength and stamina.
“Right now, I’m trying to gain a lot of muscle to be able to withstand the college level of physicality,” Johnson said. “I’m trying to get to 220 by summer.
“I’m at 210, which puts me 15 pounds over what I ended the season at. I’m also working on my speed a lot in track and putting a big focus on recovery as well. I think I can go in there and make an impact.”
Johnson was the rushing leader for a 7-3 M-S team as a senior, gaining 774 yards on the ground (averaging 4.7 yards per carry) as the Bulldogs won their third successive Apollo Conference crown with an unbeaten league record.
“I think I’ll grow a lot in college, not just as a player, but as a person,” he said. “I love the opportunity in front of me because there are no returning starters at running backs at UCO, so I think I have a chance to see the field.”
Central Oklahoma finished the 2023 season with a 5-6 record.
Johnson plans on majoring in business.
“In 10 years, I hope to own a company starting in junk removal and hopefully being able to expand into other things to help people in communities,” Johnson said.
Adkins is looking forward to a road trip that he wants to schedule.
“I cannot wait to make a visit to Central Oklahoma to watch him play,” Adkins said.
