A&T defensive end Darryl Johnson's idea of summer vacation is more football

DARRYL JOHNSON, Jr.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — The looming dark thunderclouds crept across the sky, headed straight for N.C. A&T’s practice field and the weary young men who sweated through the long afternoon in 93-degree heat.

Practice was almost over. The iron-gray clouds guaranteed that.

Only sprints remained. Two final down-and-back trips across the grass, pushing on tired legs.

Most dreaded it. Most, but not all.

Darryl Johnson, A&T’s third-team All-America defensive end, ran hard, finishing each sprint near the front of his group.

“That’s what leaders do,” Coach Sam Washington said. “D.J. has bought in. He understands what it takes to be successful, and that’s a hard thing for a lot of young guys — to learn and to understand and to realize the commitment it takes.”

Johnson, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound junior, had a breakthrough season as a sophomore last year when the Aggies went 12-0 and won their second black college national championship in three years.

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