For most, moving off to college is exciting, potentially nerve-racking and maybe even a little scary. Add playing a Division I sport and being almost 500 miles away from home to that plate and most 18 or 19 year olds would be, for lack of a better term, freaking out.
However, freshman safety Dontae Johnson was given the opportunity to attend The Pennington School, a preparatory academy in Pennington, N.J. He learned first hand what it was like to be away from home as a sophomore in high school, rather than most whose first experience of independence comes in August after receiving a high school diploma. Johnson said experience at boarding school helped him grow up and made the transition easier.
“I already have a couple years away from home and got to be on my own,” Johnson said. “So the transition has been really smooth and wasn’t as big of a deal for me. I really like it down here. I love the atmosphere down here and the fans are great. It’s a great place to play football.”
Like Johnson, head coach Tom O’Brien enrolled in a prep school before playing football at the Naval Academy and said during a press conference in August that experience helps student athletes mature.
“I think prep school or an extra year of school, partly because I did it before I went to the Naval Academy, helps people a lot,” O’Brien said. “I’m a proponent of that. I think you grow up a lot. You get away from home for the first time without all the rigors of college and being thrown right into the fire. So the homesickness and all those things go out of the way so you are a little more mature when you come in.”
At The Pennington School, Johnson emerged as a leader both on and off the gridiron. He served as a hall proctor, a position similar to a Resident Advisor, for two years and was involved in the Peer Leadership Program while maintaining a grade point average well above 3.0. He was also captain of the football team during his junior and senior seasons as well as captain of the basketball team.
Since arriving at State, his athletic ability and understanding of the game has impressed the coaching staff.
“Dontae is a good kid,” defensive backs coach Mike Reed said. “He’s very athletic and very football savvy. When we recruited Dontae we didn’t exactly know where he was going to fit in, but we knew he would fit in somewhere because of his athleticism.”
Johnson has done more than fit in. The true freshman has seen action in all seven games this season, while managing to crack the starting lineup against Boston College. He has recorded 19 tackles and a pass breakup thus far. Johnson said he is taking advantage of this rare opportunity to play at such a young age and enjoying himself.
“It’s been mind-boggling,” Johnson said. “Being a freshman coming in and playing as much as I am has been crazy. But I’m definitely taking advantage of this opportunity because it only comes around once. So I’m definitely enjoying it and having fun with it while it’s going on.”
Johnson and his coaches realized his talent at a young age. As a kid, he developed an insatiable hunger to improve and that work ethic guided him to success.
“When I was younger, my coaches always told me if I kept working hard and stayed focused I could play at a high level,” Johnson said. “Growing up, I had to work on developing a work ethic towards getting better, not just settling for ok. By doing that I got this great opportunity to play football here at N.C. State.”
Johnson’s work ethic and athletic ability landed him in Raleigh, but it wasn’t until the first time he ran out of the tunnel against Western Carolina that he realized his dream was a reality and all of his hard work paid dividends.
“The first time coming out of the tunnel was amazing,” Johnson said. “At that point I realized it was a dream come true, that I was actually playing college football. It was definitely something I’ll never forget.”
