CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Johnson is all smiles at Clemson's practice
Johnson is all smiles at Clemson's practice

Johnson on snaps: "I felt like I should have got more"


by - Assoc. Editor -

CLEMSON -- Senior safety Jadar Johnson didn't mince words and was refreshingly honest after practice on Thursday evening when a local reporter asked if he felt like he got the snaps he deserved last season behind former players Jayron Kearse and T.J. Green.

"Snaps that I got was pretty good. I felt like I should have got more," said Johnson. "I just felt like me coming out here and me knowing my capabilities, and what I could do, I felt like I could have been just as good as the starters were last year. Not taking anything away from them because those are pretty good guys, NFL caliber guys (Kearse and Green). But I just felt like I was just as good as them. Sometimes you just got to wait your turn."

Johnson has been impressed from what he has witnessed so far with the defensive back field especially true freshman Trayvon Mullen.

"There will be no dropoff at all. I feel like the guys we have this year are just as good if not better than the guys last year," Johnson said. "Those (young) guys look real good. I really like Trayvon Mullen. He looks real good. K'Von Wallace is pretty serious too. I don't feel like he is on the level of that Trayvon Mullen is on right now but he is taking it real serious, and he is the film room more than a lot of the older guys. "

For his part, Johnson said he is trying to take more of a vocal leadership role in his final season as he tries to take the next step in his player development.

"I am stepping up into more of a leadership role. I have a chance to start. I feel like it is more on my shoulders and more for me to come out here and work for," Johnson said. "I feel like I just need to be more of a leader. I had a tendency just to sit back and fall back sometimes, but I need to start leading. I try to lead by example a lot, but I need to be a little bit more vocal."

Johnson has 41 tackles, four interceptions, and four pass breakups so far in his collegiate career.

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