Jamon Dumas-Johnson’s NFL Draft journey began at Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy

Dumas-Johnson overcame the loss of his senior year of high school football and family issues to put together a stellar college career as a linebacker in the SEC

Jamon Dumas-Johnson earned his way into the starting lineup by excelling, early in his career at St. Frances, as a special teams standout. Despite having his senior season wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dumas-Johnson made enough of an early impression to earn a scholarship to Georgia, where he won a pair of national championships and charted his course towards the 2025 NFL Draft. / Rivals.com

Football players at St. Frances Academy do not suit up for the Panthers in hopes of earning an opportunity to play the game at a higher level, they expect it. Every aspect of football at SFA is designed to prepare players for Division I opportunities and, for some, the dream of playing in the NFL.

Jamon Dumas-Johnson is the latest Panther meeting this expectation.

As a junior in 2019, “Pop,” as Dumas-Johnson is affectionately known by his teammates and coaches, was a 4-star linebacker on a St. Frances squad which went 11-1 and finished the year ranked No. 3 team in the nation by High School Football America. Heading into what would have been his senior year, which was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, he was rated among the 10 best linebackers in the nation by all of the major recruiting services. The Covid era hurt the recruiting prospects of many talented high school players, but the University of Georgia caught onto Dumas-Johnson earlier than most and by the time his recruiting really heated up, the Bulldogs had already convinced him to head to Athens.

“His recruitment was interesting just because of the timing of it,” said Henry Russell, who was the co-head coach at St. Frances, along with Biff Poggi, during Dumas-Johnson’s time with the Panthers. “The spring of a their junior year is a time where most kids are recruited. That year there were no visits. Everything was shut down. If you hadn't been a stud as a sophomore you might've flown under the radar a little bit.”

According to Russell, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, who was a defensive assistant at Georgia from 2018-21, got the ball rolling on Dumas-Johnson’s recruitment. Glenn Schumann, the Bulldogs current defensive coordinator, was also involved and current head coach Kirby Smart all but sealed the deal when he visited St. Frances just prior to the Covid shutdown.

“Myself and Biff and Messay (Hailermariam, current St. Frances head coach), said hey you need to keep an eye on this kid,” said Russell. “He's probably gonna have a breakout year and they were one of the first ones that I think really just latched onto that. We started to get all these calls about him, later on, in the fall of 2020, but I at that point Georgia had already made a pretty deep impact and that's where he ended up.”

Georgia caught onto the talents of Jamon Dumas-Johnson early in his high school career at St. Frances Academy and locked up the race for his services before other school finally caught on. He played three years in Athens, earning All-America honors and winning a pair of national championships. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

As a college sophomore, Dumas-Johnson showed his NFL potential with a spectacular season, featuring 70 tackles (second on the team), nine tackles for loss and four sacks. He was a finalist for the Butkus Award, presented annually to the nation’s top linebacker, and became a First-Team All-American selection by both Sporting News and ESPN. His junior year was cut short by a forearm injury, but he still managed 34 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in just nine games.

It was not all smooth sailing at Georgia, however.

In February of 2023, one day after the Bulldogs defeated Texas Christian in the College Football Playoff national championship game, Dumas-Johnson was arrested and charged on counts of reckless driving for racing on city streets in Athens.

The events may have played a role in his decision to enter the transfer portal, prior to his senior year, which led to Dumas-Johnson’s move to Kentucky where he received a NIL deal reportedly worth nearly $150,000. He certainly delivered on his end of the bargain for the Wildcats, recording 67 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He also forced one fumble, recovered three and intercepted the first pass of his college career.

With his NFL dream potentially at hand, Russell believes it all began for Dumas-Johnson during his days at St. Frances.

“He was a guy who I loved to coach” said Russell. “He was a kid that just loved football. He loved playing the game and he loved studying the game. He loved anything that involved the game. He absolutely was a leader on our team. He assumed the role of starting middle linebacker after Shane Lee (Alabama and USC) left. He had played a little bit of outside linebacker for us prior to that and when Shane graduated, he took over as the starter for us and really had a break out junior year.”

Russell said he first became aware of Dumas-Johnson, through his older brother Brandon, who played briefly played at St. Frances. In addition, he played alongside his twin brother Javon at SFA.

“Honestly, he overcame a lot in life. He has family trouble. His father ended up passing away towards the end of his high school career. Football was kind of his way out. He worked very hard in the classroom. He came to us pretty far behind, I’d say, where you want to be, but made incredible efforts to improve himself. He realized that St. Frances was kind of a golden ticket for him, and he completely took advantage of that. He worked hard in school. He worked hard at football, and football was kind of his outlet.”

To make a NFL roster, Dumas-Johnson may have to prove he can contribute on special teams, which is how he first got on the field at St. Frances.

“I was always impressed with him,” said his high school coach. “He really made his mark for us as a young kid, playing special teams. He really started making an impact there and earned his opportunity on defense.

“From a football player standpoint, I think he has very, very good natural instincts for the game. He just kinda always seemed to find the ball. For a defensive player, you can't teach those things. A kid may have all the ability, they may have all the intangibles. They may be able to run a 4.5 and be 6-foot-3, but not have that natural instinct. To me that's what was made Pop special. It’s just the natural instincts he had for the game.”

Jamon Dumas-Johnson played his final year of college football Kentucky Wildcats in 2024. Here, he returned a fumble for a touchdown against the Texas Longhorns. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

To excel in the NFL, Dumas-Johnson will need to work on his explosiveness and speed, according to Russell.

“He has consistently made plays in his college career. I think in the NFL, obviously, it's incredibly hard to play, let alone start, and especially at the linebacker position,” said Russell. “It’s such a speed based league now and Pop is kind of a bigger linebacker. He's the opposite of a lot of kids, he's had to work to keep the weight down. Naturally he's just big and strong. He's had to work to keep the weight down so he can run and run effectively. So, I think he will have to revert back to his old high school days, where he'll need to make an impact on special teams. You know, catch the coach’s eye in that regard and make plays there. If he can do that, I think it could lead to him getting chances as a linebacker.

“I think he has a chance to start in the NFL. I really do believe that, but you know a lot of things have to fall in place and get the right brakes for that to happen.”

Jason-Dumas Johnson Scouting Report from NFL Draft Buzz

• Posses a thick, NFL-ready build at 245 pounds, allowing him to hold his ground against interior offensive linemen in the run game
• Displays excellent instincts and play recognition, often diagnosing plays quickly and attacking downhill with explosive first-step quickness
• Proven big-game performer with experience in high-pressure situations, including two national championship victories
• Versatile defender capable of playing all three downs, contributing in run defense, pass coverage, and as a blitzer
• Generates impressive power as a tackler, delivering bone-jarring hits that can set the tone for the defense
• Effective blitzer with the ability to overwhelm running backs in pass protection and even push the pocket against guards
• Demonstrates good lateral agility for his size, allowing him to sift through traffic and find running lanes to the ball carrier
• Strong leadership qualities and high football IQ, often serving as the defensive signal-caller and making pre-snap adjustments