- Nate Johnson, a former quarterback, is emerging as a key receiver for Utah.
- After a fumble setback, Johnson focused on mental health and skill improvement.
- Coach Scalley praised Johnson's commitment, highlighting his progress during spring camp.
SALT LAKE CITY — With just over two minutes left in the first half in a road game against Wyoming, Utah's utility player Nate Johnson received a handoff and took it 16 yards down the left sideline toward the end zone.
In a disjointed half of football in which Utah led just 3-0 after two missed field goals and several other missed opportunities, Johnson's long run to the pylon was a much-needed boost for the Utes offense.
But as Johnson neared the end zone, he was stripped of the ball and fumbled. Wyoming recovered the ball on the 7-yard line and ended the only positive momentum Utah had up to that point in the game.
Utah went on to win by a comfortable 31-6 score in the team's final nonconference game, but the fumble had its lasting impact.
Johnson, who was new to the receiver position after spending the early part of his career as a quarterback, was sidelined for the duration of the Wyoming game after the mistake. And he didn't appear in the next three games, either.
It wasn't until Utah's eighth game of the season — a home game against Colorado — until Johnson recorded his first stat since the fumble. He finished the game with 58 yards and one touchdown on two carries, but he'd already missed a significant portion of the season after being talked about as a key asset for Utah's offense.
"After the fumble, I got on myself and kind of just checked out mentally," Johnson told KSL.
He was simply not in a good place after the fumble, and it was compounded by not seeing the field for several games. But Johnson persisted and eventually found his way back onto the field, where he compiled 86 rushing yards on nine carries over the last five games of the season.
There was hope for more production, but he chalked it up as a "teaching moment" and one in which to "not be so hard on myself."
In the four months since the season ended, Johnson is seemingly a changed person, and much of that has translated to the field during the team's spring camp. Utah head coach Morgan Scalley praised Johnson, saying he's a guy that's "fully bought into being a wide receiver that's making play after play."
During several practice sessions during spring camp, Johnson made highlight plays to help the offense move the ball and was a top performer throughout camp in media viewing sessions. But more importantly, he said he's having fun again in his development as he attempts to be a true wide receiver.
"He was really inconsistent last year in terms of catching the ball, in terms of doing the things that I think he was asked to do, in terms of finishing routes and being a hand catcher," Scalley said. "All that stuff he has fully bought in. (Coach) Bump has done a heck of a job with him; and to Nate's credit, what a great mindset he's coming to this offseason with, and he's seeing the benefits of it."
For Johnson, it's going back to that teaching moment and understanding what he needed to do to become an asset to the team. He saw the comments about him and knew he needed to be better, and it all started with his mental health.
"I feel like mentally now that I've sat down with our mental health specialist and talked to him a lot about, like, my mental state during games, I feel like he's helped me a lot with that — shout out. Jonathan Ravarino," Johnson said. "I just feel like now, compared to last year, that just taught me a lot — just go hard, go fast.
"That was just a teaching moment last year. And I feel like this year is going to be a whole lot different."
And so he "locked in" to "make the last year my best year." And though it's been a winding road for the former quarterback, who has had several teaching moments throughout his career, he's fully embracing the wide receiver position and wanting it to be a successful transition, especially under a coaching staff he believes has his full support.
"I feel a lot more confident. ... Just bought in, bought into what coach Bump's teaching, bought into what Scalley sat down and told me — just buy into the culture, just buy into the true receiver role, and just really bought into what they have going," he said. "I love what they've got going on. I love the culture we have going on here."
His buy-in to his role and the team has been apparent to all, but mostly his coach, Chad Bumphis, who was at Utah when Johnson was first a quarterback and has a good understanding of the type of player he can be for the Utes.
"Nate is very, very competitive," Bumphis said. "I love Nate because, obviously, he's a great young man, but he takes tough coaching because he wants to be good. It's important to him, and he understands that. He's fairly new to the position, but just being a football player, man, he's so natural. He's got really natural hands. He runs good routes, and he understands space.
"He understands what the quarterbacks are seeing, so he's able to find that zone just a little bit faster," he added. "And, again, just being in that (receiver) room, there's good competition. So every day you get back, just the more routes, the more opportunities he gets, the better he's playing. So I'm very, very pleased with Nate. Love how he competes, love his attitude, love having him in that room, being able to coach him."
Johnson understands the work isn't finished, but he's approaching his final season with a much better understanding of who he is and what type of player he can be for Utah this season.
