Associated Press
Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson can't remember a time in his life without football or the Aggies.
Growing up in a Houston suburb, Johnson always found maroon-and-white coffee mugs in the cabinets, Aggies jerseys around the house, ornaments with A&M logos on the Christmas tree.
His late father, Larry, played receiver and defensive back for A&M in the late 1970s, a decade before Jerrod was born. Larry later worked as an offensive coordinator at Humble High School and by the time Jerrod reached second grade, his football education had started.
When the family went to restaurants, Larry Johnson drew plays on sheets of paper that Jerrod used for coloring. When Jerrod and his older brother exercised in the garage, Larry broke down defenses on a chalkboard between their reps. And instead of just watching games for enjoyment, Larry made sure his boys understood why plays worked.
The grooming has panned out perfectly.
Jerrod Johnson is wrapping up one of the greatest seasons for a quarterback in Texas A&M history as the Aggies (6-5, 3-4 Big 12) head into Thursday's showdown with No. 3 Texas (11-0, 7-0).
The 6-foot-5 junior has already set single-season school records for completions (241), passing yards (2,875), touchdown passes (24) and 300-yard games (4). He's also thrown more TD passes and fewer interceptions than Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy, a contender for the Heisman trophy.
Johnson knows quarterbacks are judged by victories more than anything, and McCoy set an NCAA record with his 43rd career victory in Saturday's victory over Kansas.
A&M's mark is 9-12 since Johnson became the starter last season.
"I really haven't thought about the records much," Johnson said. "When I leave A&M, maybe I can look back at the things I've done. Right now, I'm in the present, I'm just trying to win games. It's frustrating that I haven't been able to win more so far."
Johnson never dwells on the losses, though, even the bad ones.
A few days after the Aggies were routed 62-14 at Kansas State on Oct. 17, Johnson rounded up a few teammates for a previously scheduled appearance at a local elementary school. A&M officials gave Johnson the option of backing out after the embarrassing defeat, but Johnson fulfilled the commitment.
"Keep moving forward," his father used to tell him. "You play the hand you're dealt. How you deal with it, that's what counts."
The messages reverberate, strong as ever, two years after Jerrod lost his father.
Larry Johnson suffered a stroke and died in December 2007 at age 50, two weeks before Jerrod and the Aggies faced Penn State in the Alamo Bowl. Johnson worked in the Humble school district for 22 years, and was the principal of the high school when he died.
About 3,000 people attended a memorial service and many left with purple-and-white wristbands with "His Legacy Lives On" carved into the rubber.
Jerrod still hasn't taken his off.
"It's kind of a mix of remembering my dad and where you were raised," he said. "Looking down at that, that brings back a lot of good memories."
Jerrod remembers how his father used to fondly reminisce about former teammates and seemingly small details of games. He also watched his father grow increasingly frustrated as A&M faded from the national spotlight over the last decade.
Jerrod's mission wasn't just to play quarterback at Texas A&M, but to rebuild the foundation and turn A&M back toward greatness.
"That's a huge thing for me," he said. "That's one of the main reasons I wanted to come here. I felt like I was capable of helping lead this program back to prominence. With the coaching staff and the recruiting classes we've had, I think we're definitely close.
"It's unfortunate that we haven't been able to do that as quickly as everyone would like," he said. "but I'm proud that I'm part of that process, working to get us back to where we need to be."
Johnson threw for 2,435 yards and 21 touchdowns and completed 59.5 percent of his passes as a sophomore in 2008. Coach Mike Sherman said Johnson made vast improvement in the offseason on his footwork and decision-making.
"I don't know if I've ever been around a guy who takes what you say to heart and is able to make the adjustments as readily as he has made them," Sherman said. "And he has a long way to go. I knew he was a smart kid, but he has football smarts. And that probably has a lot to do with growing up with his dad being a football coach. But he has very good football smarts."
Johnson has become the undisputed leader of the team, setting a hardworking example in practices and a clean-cut one off the field. He doesn't mind opening up to teammates about his father's death, thinking that the more he tells, the more comfort they would feel coming to him if they faced a crisis.
"You can't lead people if they don't respect you," he said. "I feel people will respect you more if they understand that you can relate to them and you try to relate to them. I can relate to guys who have to deal with adversity, guys who've lost someone and been through something similar to what I've been through."
Sherman says Johnson needs to refine his mechanics before he tries to make the leap to the pros. Beyond the NFL dreams, Jerrod envisions himself as an offensive coordinator someday, teaching budding quarterbacks how to read defenses and learn the game.
"I was pretty much raised on football, and I can't really see myself without football," he said. "I was brought up around it and I wouldn't have wanted to be raised any other way. I feel like this is where I belong, this is what I was put on Earth to do, that's the way I was guided as a child. Hopefully, I can do the same for my kids."
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