Gators DB Johnson's turnaround made one mother very grateful

GAINESVILLE, Fla. Not long ago, Najiyah Henderson wasn't sure what Thanksgiving Day would look like for her family.

Henderson had three children at home, and between juggling multiple jobs and nursing school, she didn't have an extra minute to spare. So whether a teacher called about a missed assignment or, worse, the housing manager or the police called about delinquent behavior, Henderson was often pushed to the limit.

“It was really tough,” Henderson said by phone from Tampa this week.

Gators second-year defensive back Dijon Johnson shared the house with Henderson, his mother and a brother and sister. They didn't live in the best part of town, and temptation was on every street corner.

Johnson wasn't immune to saying yes to things he should have said no to. He hung out with kids who ended up on one-way streets, messed up his homework and kept his mother awake at night.

“Where he comes from, kind of a rough upbringing,” Henderson said. “He had to go to an alternative school.”

Johnson spent eighth grade at the Dorothy Thomas Exceptional Center, which is described on its official Facebook page as a “K-12 school that provides a therapeutic, educational setting for students in need of emotional and behavioral support.”

Johnson made the grades at the school, but when it was time for high school, Henderson tried to put him back into standard public school and perhaps a better future. He transferred to Wharton High School and did not play football his freshman season.

If there was one part of his turbulent childhood that Johnson most strongly connected with, it was the game he started playing when he was five. He spent hours in the garden playing football with Antonio Pore, his only brother on his mother's side. family.

At times, football seemed like the only thing Johnson was interested in.

“He tried really hard, and he just loved it, but the thing was he settled into school because he loved football so much,” Henderson said. “I thought, 'Well, what about homework?' ' I had to hide the pads and hide the football and say, 'If you don't do your schoolwork, you're not going to practice.' “

Henderson wanted an easier path for her children.

She became pregnant with Dijon while studying at Wharton, dropped out, and later earned her GED. Dijon's father, also mentioned Dijon Johnsonremained a part of his son's life, but he had another family that now consists of eight boys and a girl.

In his sophomore year, Johnson began to show signs that he had turned a corner. He cut ties with some bad influences and started making better decisions even when his parents weren't around.
Johnson realized that his competitive fire could take him to great heights on the field and, as a side benefit, in life.

“I think I got that from both my parents,” Johnson said. “To see my mom working all these different jobs and never giving up and never giving in.” And then my dad just has that 'oomph' to him. He always wants to be the best at what he does. That's what drove and motivated me.”

Plays for former Southern Cal and NFL receiver Mike Williams at Wharton, Johnson blossomed as a junior defensive back for the Wildcats. That season, he returned four interceptions for touchdowns and began attracting interest from some of the nation's top college football programs, including Ohio State and Florida.

Williams, who spent three seasons at Wharton and is now in his first year as director of player development at USC, built a talented roster that includes Johnson, Miami defensive lineman Booker Pickett Jr., Boston College linebacker Daveon Crouch and USF receiver Arkese Parks. College recruiters showed up regularly and Johnson's offers continued to increase.

He committed to Ohio State the spring before his senior year, but after a visit to the Friday Night Lights camp in Florida in July 2022, Johnson's interest in the Gators grew. He committed to UF in October 2022 in the same 24-hour period as a teammate Bryce Thornton.

In last week's win over Ole Miss, Johnson appeared to catch a game-clinching interception off Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart in the final minutes. He jumped from Florida Field and raced to the end zone to celebrate the moment with recruits during the game, with dozens of his teammates following his lead. Replay officials overturned the game. The ball hit the ground as Johnson tried to catch it, but moments later Thornton's second interception sealed Florida's 24-17 victory over the ninth-seeded Rebels.

After playing most of this season as a freshman and reserve on special teams, Johnson started three of the last four games as injuries depleted Florida's secondary. He has produced 23 tackles, including a career-high six in the win over LSU two weeks ago.

“DD has impressed me with his toughness,” the Gators head coach said Billy Napier said. “DD is playing through an injury. He is there every day in the training room and is working through it. He has made a big step forward. DD has really matured in my eyes. He has matured. I have a lot of respect for it.” in terms of where he was when I first met him, to who he is now as a young man.

“He's grown quite a bit.”

Johnson's journey was marked by growing pains. He's starting to reap the benefits on the field, like a fourth-down tackle against LSU that gave the Gators the ball.

“I think that set the tone for the day,” Johnson said. “After that, we played with a lot of energy. After that, it was electric to hear the crowd. You get to play SEC ball and compete against the best competition there is in the country. I want to go against those guys.”

Napier has ramped up practices on Thanksgiving so players who live close enough to campus can come home for Thanksgiving. Henderson was grateful.

She recently moved to a larger house and was planning to have Thanksgiving dinner at her home for the first time. She said Dijon was planning to be there. Antonio, a freshman defensive lineman at Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, plans to come home for Christmas.

Henderson is as busy as ever, but she isn't nearly as worried about Dijon as she used to be.

“It was like a light bulb went off when he started high school,” she said. 'I hit him often, but not for the wrong reason. I hit him because I knew he could be so much better. I think that's great for him. I'm so proud of him.

“He did one [180]. It's very amazing. He and my other son were headed for destruction.”

Neither Dijon nor Henderson identified an ah-ha moment. The transformation happened over time and many positive influences contributed to it.

Johnson, of course, played the most crucial role. He had to believe that a better life was possible and make the right decisions to make it possible. The game he fell in love with at the age of five opened the door.

“I love the process,” he said. “Really, I started to gain confidence halfway through my freshman year. I started to pick up confidence and juice: 'Oh yeah, I belong here.' I just had to learn the plays, learn the schedule and learn how to work in college. It's been great ever since.”

And perhaps, after all the ups and downs they've been through together, never more important than on this Thanksgiving at Henderson's dinner table.

“She has always been a provider for us and that voice that we could talk to,” Johnson said. “She always wanted the best for us.”