college football football uc davis May 26, 2020
This is a copy of an article originally found here:
https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2020/2/21/winter-ball-spotlight-brock-johnson.aspx
DAVIS, Calif. -- As the second week of the UC Davis winter practice season winds down, we continue our ongoing series introducing Aggie fans to football players who unsung heroes or up-and-comers. On a team of more than 100 student-athletes playing a variety of roles, some players are relative unknowns to even the most ardent followers. Once again, we highlight one player from each position group who UC Davis football fans should get to know.
This series continues with quarterback Brock Johnson, a fourth-year communication major from Mission Viejo, California.
WHY AGGIE FANS MIGHT NOT KNOW HIM:
Johnson transferred to UC Davis after a year at Georgetown but did not initially make the roster. Still, he served as an assistant to award-winning video coordinator Tim Ornelas, and generally aided practice in any capacity he could. He made the Aggie roster in 2018 and saw scant playing time as a reserve behind Jake Maier during the past two years. Eagle-eyed fans likely see Johnson signalling in the plays from the sidelines, as he serves quite literally as a right-hand man to associate head coach and offensive coordinator Tim Plough.
WHY AGGIE FANS SHOULD KNOW HIM:
Fans are already familiar with the lineage of quarterbacks he continues. His grandfather, Bob, created the Elite 11 academies (in which Plough participated as a young QB). His father, Bret, starred at El Toro High and famously squared off against rival Todd Marinovich. Bret went on to play for UCLA and Michigan State, and saw stints in the CFL and NFL. Brock's uncle, Rob Johnson, played nine years in the NFL, including 26 games as the starter for the Buffalo Bills. For Brock's part, he led Mission Viejo High to a 28-game winning streak and a state championship in 2015. And even in his limited playing time at UC Davis, he has already thrown for two touchdowns. Furthermore, Brock's selflessness with his teammates earned him the Phil Wells Teammate of the Year award in 2018.
Oddly, Brock Johnson might already be the best-known member of the Aggie football team. His Instagram account has more than 38,000 followers, and he owns his own successful business as a social media coach. Johnson's podcast, which he co-hosts with his mother, Chalene, is about to record its 300th episode. (For her part, Chalene's YouTube channel boasts some 112,000 susbscribers.)
With Maier having graduated last fall, Johnson is part of a five-horse race to assume the role under center, along with Hunter Rodrigues, Gunnor Faulk, Miles Hastings and Trent Tompkins. However, as Plough says, "[Brock] is competing right now but I think he competes with himself."
ACCORDING TO TIM PLOUGH, ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR & QB'S COACH:
"Brock exemplifies Aggie Pride as much as or more than any other guy I've coached. That's because he's not about the results. He's not about the stats. He's all about the team. He has told me before that his goal is to be the captain of the team. He wants to be a leader. I just think he's a guy who should be celebrated for who he is and what he stands for. When he's done playing here and he's gone on to be successful doing whatever he's doing, he'll be one of those guys I'll hold dear to my heart. He stands for everything we want out of UC Davis football."