As part of Black History Month, the Georgia Southern Athletics Department and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion group within the department are highlighting successful former Eagle student-athletes. GSEagles.com had a chance to catch up with former football wide receiver B.J. Johnson to highlight his successes after graduating from Georgia Southern in 2016. Johnson spent this past year as a graduate assistant working with inside receivers at Texas Tech and has also had coaching stops at Colorado and Savannah State. Currently, Johnson is an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb University.

After a strong college career at Georgia Southern, where he caught 93 balls for 1,338 yards and six touchdowns from 2013-2016 and helped the Eagles to a 2015 Sun Belt championship and a GoDaddy Bowl win over Bowling Green, he signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers. He made the team but suffered a hamstring injury late in camp and was was eventually released.

Here is what Johnson has to say about his journey from being a wide receiver at GS and his challenges and setbacks that led him to where he is today: 

1. What did you enjoy most about Georgia Southern?

I remember enjoying hanging out with the guys. There's nothing like coming home from a long day of practice and getting to see your buddies. Those conversations and just that camaraderie, that's what I definitely miss the most.

2. What was one of your best memories while at Georgia Southern?

Definitely winning that Sun Belt Conference championship. Even though we technically didn't win it because it was our first year in the league, I would still say winning that game and then having a whole stadium swarm the field was an experience I had never experienced until that point. 

3. What was one of your proudest moments while at Georgia Southern?

I would say scoring my first touchdown against Georgia Tech. It was a meaningful touchdown because our team really needed it. It kind of kicked off our rally coming back to that game in 2014. 

4. How did you navigate the post-graduate environment?

After I got done playing, I was able to go try out for the San Francisco 49ers, and I actually made the team. I got hurt though, and once that happened, my football career was cut short. The setbacks and the learning opportunities that I experienced in my time at Georgia Southern were able to help me navigate those times and emotions I felt when my career had ended. 

5. What about being a football coach excites you?

Having the ability to inspire players excites me the most. Honestly, that's why I'm coaching. I truly believe that as a coach our job is to make an impact on those players' lives. I know sometimes we get caught up in the x's and o's and whatever we're trying to scheme up that day, but our job is to make an impact. I am able to pour into my guys off the field just as much as on the field. To me, that is the best feeling. 

6. Who was your biggest inspiration at Georgia Southern?

My biggest inspiration would have to be my former teammate and NFL veteran, JJ Wilcox. He was a guy that took me under his wing when I first got there and treated me like family while he was making a run at the NFL. I had a chance to watch him work and see his mentality towards training and practice, and that's what led me to believe I could truly play in the NFL when I saw him get drafted in 2013.

7. How do you hope to serve as a role model to younger Black athletes?

I hope to serve to all athletes, not just Black, but also white as well. I strive to inspire athletes to chase their dreams at all costs through radical work ethic and to never listen to anyone but the ones that support their dreams and goals. I think the quicker young athletes realize that positive self-dialogue is all they need to be successful, the more we'll see them setting the bar higher and going after dreams. I look to shine light on that as a living testimony. 

8. What does Black History Month mean to you?

Black History Month means a great deal to me when I sit back and look at how far we've come since day one. I appreciate the sacrifices others made that came before me to allow me to do what I do today. If we didn't have those people willing to take a stand, then who knows if we would have ever made progress. Black history is something that should be talked about more than a month out of the year.