The Jacobe Johnson Chronicles: Mustang High Standout Addresses Scheduling Challenges COVID-19 Presents
On April 30, Mustang High freshman Jacobe Johnson became the youngest in-state skill position player ever to receive a football offer from OU. Throughout his recruitment, SI Sooners will have regular interviews with Johnson and consistent updates as the process plays out.
As the dog days of summer wear on, Jacobe Johnson is doing his best to enjoy every moment.
Workouts and practices usually consume the two-sport star’s schedule, but come Independence Day weekend, he finally got a chance to kick back and relax. The Rush Springs native, who now resides in Mustang, says his family’s holiday rhythms haven’t changed much over the years.
“Me and the family, we just bought little fireworks,” Johnson said. “Had some fun, just chilled. My whole family usually goes up to my uncle’s house; he has a big house.”
Johnson briefly resumed football workouts with his teammates in June, but as the coronavirus re-emerged across the state and the nation, those workouts went by the wayside. He and his fellow Broncos are back in a holding pattern for the time being.
“We start back July 13,” he said. “We had some kids test positive [for COVID-19], so we have to quarantine for two weeks.”
On Thursday, the Big Ten announced plans to play a conference-only schedule in 2020, potentially breaking the levee for a wholesale overhaul of the coming football season at multiple levels. Johnson acknowledged that his sophomore season at Mustang may be subject to drastic change, but said he wasn’t focused on what that change may look like.
“I’m just gonna play how I usually play,” he stated. “I’m not gonna let that affect me. I’m not gonna think about that, or overthink it. I’m just gonna go out there and play my game.”
For Johnson, the postponement of summer basketball further complicates the scheduling gridlock. He mentioned that he may not get to compete on the hardwood until the school year rolls around once again.
“We haven’t started on that yet either,” he said. “We’ve just been doing training camps and stuff. So hopefully we’ll start soon. It was supposed to be the end of July, but we might have to play during school since we didn’t really get our summer.”
It seems a daunting task to tackle classes and two physically taxing sports all at once. But Johnson says if that’s what it comes to, he’s prepared to take on that challenge.
“I’ve done it before,” he said. “It’s not easy, and you have to work at it. But I can get it done, though.”
Lest anyone forget, Johnson is the state’s top 2023 prospect in both football and basketball. So if there’s one player that can handle such a workload, it’s him.
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