Most crucial Jayhawks 2015: No. 11 – TE Ben Johnson
photo by: Nick Krug
Kansas tight end Ben Johnson takes off up the field after a catch against West Virginia during the fourth quarter on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014 at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia.
As we approach the Top 10 on our summer series of Most Crucial Jayhawks for the 2015 season, we find a player known equally for his on-the-field abilities as what he does and who he is off the field.
This Jayhawk, though, is definitely in a position to have a breakout season and, after spending two years adjusting to college football, seems prepared for whatever comes his way this season.
It’s back-to-back Bens on this double-dip Tuesday… Here’s a look:
11. Ben Johnson, 6-foot-5, 234-pound Soph. Tight End
Here’s the thing about sophomore tight end Ben Johnson: We think we know what kind of player he will be based on his limited appearances last season and his overall demeanor as a person, player and teammate.
But we won’t really know for sure until we see him on the field and he is put in a position to make plays and handle a bigger role.
Gifted with good size and speed, above-average athleticism and, at least from what we’ve seen so far, strong, sure hands, Johnson seems like a logical candidate to inherit a huge chunk of the stats that former KU tight end Jimmay Mundine racked up last season en route to earning second-team all-Big 12 honors.
Last season, Mundine finished with 584 yards and three touchdowns on 45 receptions and led the team in two of those three categories (yards and catches).
With just four receptions back at the wide receiver position (Tre’ Parmalee), Johnson carries into the season the title of leading returning receiver. He finished 2014 with 80 yards on eight catches.
The Jayhawks have since added a couple of transfers who delivered bigger numbers at their previous schools in the form of Virginia Tech transfer Joshua Stanford and UAB transfer Quincy Perdue, but those guys are new to town and new to the program, which means, even if they outperform Johnson on the stat sheet this season — and I’m guessing the entire offense hopes they do — there still will be a pretty significant role for the tight end from nearby Basehor-Linwood High.
Florida transfer Kent Taylor is another factor here. His athleticism and size give him the potential to create some mismatches for opposing defenses and he could pick up some of Mundine’s stats based on that fact alone.
But there’s more to playing tight end than just catching balls and making plays, and while Johnson seems to be solid in both of those areas, he’s also the more solid and physical blocker of the two and that alone should keep him on the field plenty.
Beyond all of the on-the-field stuff, Johnson was one of three players picked to represent Kansas football at Big 12 media days in Dallas in late July, so he clearly has impressed the coaches in other areas, as well, enough for them to feel like he’d be a worthy representative of what this program under first-year coach David Beaty is all about.
Most Crucial Jayhawks 2015: