College football: Palma prodigy Wesley Johnson promoted at Arizona State

TEMPE — The moment he was told a medical condition would prevent him from playing football his senior year at Palma High School, walking off into the sunset wasn’t an option for Wesley Johnson.

As painful as it was to pull the uniform off for the final time, Johnson still felt he had something to offer to the game. In his mind, he had another calling.

“It was a devastating blow to the team,” Palma coach Jeff Carnazzo remembered. “I still wanted Wes to be around because he was such a leader. I said, ‘Wes, you have so much to offer. Help us coach.’ ”

Six years after seeing his career cut short and spending his senior year at Palma coaching, the 23-year-old Johnson is living the dream, as he was promoted recently to defensive assistant at Arizona State.

“It came as a complete surprise,” Johnson said. “I got a call on Saturday and showed up to work on Sunday. It’s been coming at me fast, but I love it. It’s an amazing opportunity.”

An opportunity that few get while still finishing up their degree in college, as Johnson has a few more classes left to earn his bachelor’s at Arizona State in sports journalism.

The promotion wasn’t by accident. Johnson has served as a student recruiting assistant since arriving at Arizona State two years ago under head coach Herm Edwards.

“We needed someone that has been around football, knows football,” Edwards said. “Someone with a great work ethic. To me, Wes was the perfect guy. Sure enough, he dove right in. He’s helped us.”

When Johnson’s senior year ended prematurely, coaching seemed like a natural transition. He didn’t miss one practice or game, bringing energy and enthusiasm to the Chieftains.

“I showed up for everything,” Johnson said. “I had a desire to want to help. Things that happen to you, happen for you. I just felt like I understood the game at an early age.”

It didn’t hurt that Johnson grew up around the game, with his father, Ron Johnson — CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County — playing in the Canadian Football League and the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles.

“The first day out there, he became a valuable part of our staff,” Carnazzo said. “When he walks into a room, he commands it, lights it up. I told him if this is something you want to do in the future, you would be phenomenal.”

Ron Johnson noticed the immediate connections his son could build with athletes when he worked camps with him in the summer, how his teams always excelled, regardless of talent.

“I did spot that,” Ron Johnson said. “He has a way of approaching kids that gets their full attention. He can’t be on the field doing it because of his heart. The blessing in all this is he can still contribute and be a part of a game he has so much passion for.”

While naturally gifted as an athlete, Johnson’s work ethic and desire to learn the game put him in line for a big senior season at Palma before a heart condition ended his career.

“He was set to have a great senior year,” Carnazzo said. “He was going to get recruited. But I will never forget how he handled it. He kept telling us, ‘I’ll be all right.’ ”

As a student serving as a recruiting coordinator, which is still a part of his job title, Johnson was limited in communication with prospective athletes. Most of his recruiting came off-site.

“I’m more the eyes,” Johnson said. “I don’t physically travel. But I do a lot of travel online. I watch a lot of film and forward the information. The objective is to elevate the program.”

Johnson’s role as a recruiter will be limited, as his new position has him helping the defensive staff with charting plays in the press box and working with the defensive backs.

Part of his defensive staff includes former Seaside and MPC standout Anthony Garnett. He also works with special adviser to the head coach Marvin Lewis, who served as the Cincinnati Bengals head coach for 16 years, and defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce, the former Pro Bowl linebacker.

“I’m involved in a lot of meetings,” Johnson said. “I’m traveling with the team. I chart all the plays and look for the opponent’s tendencies, figuring out patterns. I’m treated like a coach.”

Johnson admits there are moments where he has to pinch himself. Three years ago, he was working at California Pizza Kitchen and was an assistant football coach at Stevenson.

“There is not a day that goes by that I don’t walk up to the facility, look up and remind myself what a great opportunity this is,” Johnson said. “This is a Pac-12 school I’m able to help.”

Landing a position on Edwards’ staff is unique in that few college students find themselves in a role of importance on a football staff.

“We are one of those programs that thinks out of the box,” said Edwards, whose Sun Devils are 2-0 and ranked No. 23 in the nation. “If it works for us and him, why not? If I can help a local kid, I will. He earned this promotion. And it’s paying off for us.”

Johnson has been grinding since the moment he arrived on campus. He watches hours of film, dives into any project asked of him by the coaching staff.

“A lot of people my age don’t get this opportunity,” Johnson said. “I didn’t see myself being in this position so soon. But I’ve worked hard. I’m around a lot of great guys. You never stop learning. I’ve tried to take something from every stop in this journey.”

That includes the first time he got to work with athletes at the Johnson-Toney Football Camp, while still in high school. Helping kids develop skills left a lasting impression on a then 16-year-old.

“It felt so good seeing a lesson translated,” Johnson said. “Even though I couldn’t play any longer at Palma, I was still able to do something good and contribute in my own way. Not everyone is a great teacher. I feel I do a good job in managing personalities and relating. I have seen these scenarios through their eyes.”

Not that Johnson needed any more convincing where his future lied, but spending two seasons as an assistant at Stevenson left no doubts what direction his life was headed.

“I remember Jeff (Carnazzo) saying I got the perfect guy,” Stevenson athletic director Justin Clymo said. “I have known (Wesley Johnson’s) family my whole life. I knew we could take his raw potential and mold it with our student-athletes.”

It wasn’t just coaching that Johnson soaked in. It was building relationships with players, working toward a common goal on and off the field.

“I see coaching as a way to help people create their futures,” Johnson said. “Not just in football. You don’t decide when the game is done with you. It tells you. Mine came unexpected. But if I only help these guys in football, I’ve done them a disservice.”

“Coaching is about building relationships,” Clymo added. “Wesley is a relationship builder. He had an immediate impact in our program. If you give him a task, he will outperform expectations.”