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Tennessee Vols tight end Jakob Johnson working to have more catches than tackles

Dan Fleser
Knoxville
Tennessee tight end Jakob Johnson (44) at practice on Sunday, August 6, 2017.

Jakob Johnson has devoted countless hours toward transforming himself into a medical marvel.

Tennessee’s senior tight end has stood before a JUGS machine, snagging the footballs it spits out. He has repeated the standard receiver drill over and over. The ordinary routine was designed to yield extraordinary results. Johnson believes that it has.

“When I first got moved over (to tight end), I had no hands,” Johnson said earlier in the Vols’ preseason camp. “Now I have some hands.”

Johnson qualifies hands down as someone who’s earned respect within the Vols’ ranks, particularly at his position. Fellow tight end Ethan Wolf describes his 6-foot-3, 250-pound teammate as a folk hero of sorts.

"He's somebody we talk about every day,” Wolf said.

But will Johnson ever be talked about as a productive tight end? He has just two catches. Both occurred in a 55-0 rout of Tennessee Tech last season, amounting to 10 yards. He had twice as many tackles last season while playing special teams.

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There's competition at the position. Wolf is a returning starter, who has 66 career receptions. LaTrell Bumphus is one of the freshmen who are standing out in camp. Wolf’s younger brother, Eli, also plays tight end. The sophomore was awarded a scholarship on Tuesday.

Whatever happens this season will comprise the final Tennessee football chapter of a story that began in Stuttgart, Germany, where Johnson was born. He started playing the sport there with the U-19 Stuttgart Scorpions.

Johnson moved to the United States in 2012 and played one season at Jean Ribault High in Jacksonville, Fla. He was rated a 4-star linebacker prospect by 247Sports.

At Tennessee, he spent two seasons at linebacker before moving to tight end during preseason camp in 2015.

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Johnson said first-year offensive coordinator Larry Scott, who also coaches the tight ends, has been clear about his expectations.

“If you want to be a tight end in his offense,” Johnson said, “you’ve got to be able to make plays on the ball but you’ve also got to be physical and very tough in the run game. That was his expectation from the start.”

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones celebrates with tight end Jakob Johnson (44) after the 38-24 win over Nebraska at the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 30, 2016.

An offseason of weight training has girded Johnson for the position’s physical demands. The playmaking dimension has been the crucial work.

“We always joke with him,” Wolf said. “I think last year or the year before that, Jakob couldn’t catch a cold out here on the field.

“He committed himself every single day for 30 minutes after practice. He probably caught thousands of footballs last year off the JUGS machine after practice. Now I haven’t seen him drop but five or six passes between spring and (preseason) camp so far.”

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Wolf has watched the mind-numbing repetition unfold with both wonder and considerable respect for Johnson.

“In my four years, I haven’t seen anything like it,” Wolf said. “Everything he gets, he’s earned 100 percent. I’m grateful to play with him.”