Coach: Johnson Going to Be "Great Addition" to Bowie's Football Team

As Bowie High School defensive back Jaylen Johnson flew around the field, making play after play during a 7-on-7 passing tournament at McDonogh School during the early part of June, Bulldogs football coach Terry Hayes couldn’t help but be impressed.

Against standout teams like McDonogh, Red Lion (DE) and Ballou, among others, Johnson, who transferred to Bowie from St. John’s College High School in December, was consistently around the ball, batting down passes and even coming away with a couple interceptions.

“I had already seen his highlight footage from St. John’s [prior to the tournament] and was very impressed with it,” Hayes said of Johnson, who played at St. John’s during his first three high school seasons “Looking at the film, I already knew he had a lot of talent, but actually seeing him play like that during the tournament, I knew then just how much of a player he really is.”

And although Johnson focused solely on safety during the tournament, Hayes also expects the soon-to-be senior to be an offensive catalyst for Bowie this season as well.

Aside from safety, the 6-foot, 190 pound Johnson also played wide receiver and running back at St. John’s.

“With the way he plays, I think he’s going to be a great addition for us in what we’re putting together this year,” said Hayes, who’s entering his first season as the Bulldogs’ varsity head coach. “He’s highly skilled and has a high football I.Q. He also has a great build along with a lot speed and is just an aggressive player. He’s the total package, and he’s definitely going to be one of the cornerstones of the team this year.”

Hayes is also optimistic Johnson will help offset the loss of standout wide receiver/defensive back , who graduated in the spring and is now in the midst of his .

Hendy was Bowie’s top wide receiver last season, racking up 592 yards and seven touchdowns, and was also the team’s top defensive player, recording five interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns.

“We’re going to be heavily [reliant] on Jaylen to help replace A.J.,” Hayes said. “We’ve got a good group of guys, and I’m hoping they’re going to step up, too, but I’m definitely looking for guys like Jaylen to step out and be able to showcase their talent.”

Johnson, meanwhile, can’t wait for the season to get started. The Bulldogs’ first game is against Oxon Hill Sept. 3.

“I’m really excited,” Johnson said. “I see a lot of great things happening this year for us. Hopefully we can get to the playoffs and win a championship.”

Bowie finished last season 4-6.

But, while Johnson says leading the Bulldogs to the playoffs is his primary focus for this year, he is also hoping a strong season will draw the interest of college scouts and potentially earn him an NCAA Division 1 scholarship.

Rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, the speedy Johnson has received interest from several high level Division 1 schools, including Kansas State, Maryland, North Carolina, Rutgers, Tennessee and Virginia, among others.

He also attended several football camps at various universities during the summer in an attempt to garner more exposure on a national level. At the University of Maryland’s football camp in June, Johnson ran the 40-yard dash in a blistering 4.41 seconds.

He says he hopes to eventually latch on with a “good team at a good school that will prepare me for life after football.”

In the meantime, though, his focus is on his senior season at Bowie and doing whatever he can to help the Bulldogs have a successful season.

“I just want to have a winning season,” Johnson said. “I know A.J. made a big impact on the team last year and hopefully I can do that this year and lead us to the playoffs and to a championship.”