DE Zeandae Johnson: Will Cal's 'Old Man' Return for a 7th Football Season?
This odd college football season could give Cal defensive end Zeandae Johnson an unusual opportunity: It seems he could play a seventh college football season for Cal in 2021.
The 23-year-old Johnson is already rare sixth-year senior, having been granted two extra years by the NCAA after missing the 2015 and 2017 seasons due to injury.
"He is the dad of the group now," Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon said in the video below. "I think he's been here longer than any coach on staff."
Johnson has played in 37 college games, including 12 starts last season, when he had of 29 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and five quarterback hurries. He was the defensive MVP in Cal's Redbox Bowl win over Illinois last December and will anchor Cal's front three when the Bears open against Washington on Nov. 7.
But with Pac-12 teams playing a pandemic-shortened seven-game conference-only schedule in 2020, the NCAA ruled that participating this season will not count against any player's college eligibility. It suggests the 6-foot-4, 280-pound Johnson, who was voted the team's most improved lineman after last season, could return in 2021 if he wanted.
He certainly has not lost his youthful enthusiasm, even during this dispiriting COVID-19 era.
"Oh, man, you got to stay positive," Johnson said. "Especially talking to coach [Justin] Wilcox, focus on the positive, and that's all I've been doing. Trying to keep it upbeat, trying to keep it light."
A serious student who carries a double major of legal studies and American studies, Johnson nonetheless brings an untroubled vibe to the football field.
"He's out there with a big, old smile on his face, and his enthusiasm is something that is not lost," Sirmon said. "Sometimes when you've been at a school for a while, you get a little bit in the . . . if you watch an NFL practice, some of the vets run around a little bit different than some of the younger players, but Z's personality is one of younger, youthful player, and his talent and his experience are all really important to us."
He also provides a living measuring stick for Cal's transition from a team that relied on offense with defensive failings under Sonny Dykes to one that depends on its defense under Wilcox.
"Hoo. Wow. Man. Um. Whoa," Johnson said when asked about the Cal trajectory during his time in Berkeley, which started in 2015.
"The trajectory has been nothing short of amazing," he said.
Unlike Luc Baequette, another sixth-year senior who transferred to Boston College in August, Johnson had no thoughts of transferring when the Pac-12 initially announced it would not play fall football in 2020.
He is steadfastly committed to Cal, and figures to finish all his degrees by the end of this school year.
But, what about the ultimate question: Would he consider returning to Cal for a seventh football season as a graduate student if it is possible?
"I think we're going to get everything done here in this sixth year," he said in the video below. "I don't think I'll require a seventh. Seven years in college is kind of a stretch, so I'm looking to make my mark here in these last seven games and end my career as a Cal Bear there."
Alas, it seems Johnson will not be around Berkeley in 2021. But he could always change his mind, I guess, to see if he could get that seventh season.
Here are some video highlights of Johnson during the Redbox Bowl:
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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
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