Johnston will wear some familiar digits with the Chargers as he is staying with No. 1, the same number he wore at TCU.
Johnston explained that he wore the same number in the final two years of high school and how he chose it when he got to college.
“Going into college, I was in a good situation at TCU; our top receiver was going out — [Vikings WR] Jalen Reagor — he had No. 1, then when I came in, I wasn’t expecting to get that number so early,” Johnston said. “I was like, ‘I’m probably going to have to work my way up.’ Then, we had a photo shoot. I went to the end looking for my jersey and they said, ‘Your name is over there with the 1.’
“But, obviously, I knew that that came with a lot,” Johnston added. “It kind of just made me want to fight more at practice, do the little things to show that I deserved to have that number.”
Even now in the NFL, Johnston said he’ll continue to keep the same mindset and work ethic … with the same number, too.
“I feel like that number comes with a lot,” Johnston said. “A lot is expected of you. If you have that 1, you go on the field and look at a guy with No. 1 and go, ‘OK, he must be doing something.'”
Johnston is a Texas native who grew up in Temple before choosing to play for the Horned Frogs in college.
But he’s ready for a new chapter in his life out on the West Coast.
“I like it. I’ve been in Texas all my life. To kind of step out of that, I feel like this is the best place for me, for sure,” Johnston said. “As soon as I got off the plane, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I can feel it.’ Then, I saw my jersey. I met a few people. I’m already liking it.”
Johnston said he’ll keep his Texas roots, however, and cherishes his time in the Lone Star State.
One of his favorite memories was helping coach a youth flag football team while at TCU.
“They needed extra coaches. At first, I wasn’t very vocal, outspoken guy. I was kind of quiet, staying to myself,” Johnston said. “They were taking volunteers. They didn’t make me do it, but I’m like, ‘I probably need to do it to get outside of my comfort zone and put myself in a different space.’ I’m glad that I did.”
Travis Burnett
A pioneer in the flag football community, Travis helped co-found the Flag Football World Championship Tour, FlagSpin and USA Flag. Featuring 15+ years of content creation for the sport of flag football, creating and managing the largest flag football tournaments on the planet, coaching experience at the youth and adult level as well as an active player with National and World Championship level experience.
