LSU’s Mighty Quinn

• By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 19, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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When LSU’s Quinn Johnson runs through those “H” goal posts at Tiger Stadium for the last time before Saturday’s game against Ole Miss, understand this: His career, like so many, is a tale of the passage of time and about how sacrifice is a foundation for the game.

Johnson, at 16 years old, committed to Nick Saban and LSU in April of 2003. That was a week before his West St. John High School teammate, LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson, pledged to the Tigers.  Before LSU won the first of its two most recent national championships. Before he, as a linebacker, defensive end and fullback, and Jackson helped WSJ to the Class 2A state title that fall. Before his junior season at LSU, when he helped the Tigers to that second national title this decade.

“I didn’t have any idea of how it would go,” said Johnson, now 22. “All I could do was put it in God’s hands and let it work itself out.”

Along the way, Johnson was asked twice by LSU coach Les Miles to be a fullback.

The first time came as a recruit, when Johnson turned down Miles, then at Oklahoma State. Johnson said Oklahoma State was the only school to pursue him at fullback.

The second time, in Miles’ office as the coach at LSU, Johnson accepted. That came not long after Johnson brushed off running backs coach Larry Porter, who came into a linebackers meeting and asked about making a switch, thinking the query was a joke.

“I called my parents and told them about it after I did it,” Johnson said about the move before the 2006 season. “The only person I talked to about it was Tyson. He just said do anything to help out the team.”

Instead of living the dream of playing alongside Jackson and making big tackles, Johnson has had a career in relative obscurity until making a big impact as a fifth-year senior.

While at linebacker, he redshirted in ’04. He had one assisted tackle, in one game, in ’05. After transitioning to fullback, he had two carries for 6 yards and three tackles on special teams in ’06. And he had three catches for 21 yards and was a key blocker on the punt team last season.

“I don’t know if he was all that fired up about changing, and yet, when this team needed him to, he did,” Miles said. “He stepped in there and really pursued it and worked hard and gave to his team.

“He’s an old-school football player. ‘What’s the team need? I can do it.’ He plays special teams. He plays all the rough and rugged positions. Contact is a part of his game. He’s the type of person who has never said much but ‘How can I help?’”

This fall, Johnson scored his first touchdown, on a 5-yard run against North Texas, for the first time since he was at WSJ at 2003.

Then Saturday in that 40-31 win over Troy, he scored twice, and there has been no end to the ribbing he got from teammates.