PINE BLUFF QB OFFERED BY OLE MISS

By Josh Tinker/COMMERCIAL SPORTS EDITOR

Claude Johnson has a secret to tell. He’s now a fan of the Ole Miss Rebels.

But he has good reason to be, as the Pine Bluff quarterback has received a scholarship offer from the Rebels. While Johnson said he wasn’t a fan of Ole Miss before the offer, he is now of fan of Houston Nutt’s team.

“I kept it as a secret because I didn’t want too many people to know,” said Johnson of the scholarship offer.

But now, the cat is out of the bag. Johnson, a junior for the Zebras this season, has put up staggering numbers through his first four games. While Pine Bluff coach Bobby Bolding wasn’t sure exactly how many yards Johnson had thrown for, Bolding said it’s somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,200 or 1,300 yards.

“I’m more concerned with the touchdown to interception ratio.” Bolding said. “I think it’s 12 touchdowns to only two interceptions.

“He’s a playmaker,” Bolding continued. “He can do it with his arms or his feet. He’s real hungry to learn the game.”

While the Ole Miss offer is the first for Johnson, Bolding is expecting more to come. The coach said that several of the more prestigious collegiate programs in the country have requested film on Johnson, including Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Clemson, among others.

“We sent out a lot of unrequested film in the spring,” Bolding said. “Then, I’ve had a lot of requests for film. Two or three colleges a day ask for film, just about.”

However, Johnson said he knows that requesting film is just the preliminary stages of the recruiting process, and if he is to earn a scholarship, he’ll have to keep working.

“I have to keep working so I can get more offers, and just keep working. You never know, I might get another major college offer.”

And while those other offers haven’t come yet, Johnson said he receives correspondence from other NCAA Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) programs.

But for now, Johnson is trying to keep the recruiting talk on the down-low. He realizes he has another year and a half before he has to decide where to attend college.

For now, Bolding said Johnson’s attention will benefit the entire Pine Bluff football program, from junior high to Johnson’s high school teammates.

“For our younger kids in junior high, they think ‘if we can work hard and make our grades, and if I have a little bit of athletic ability, maybe I can do this. He’s a great example of how to do it,” Bolding said. “He’s humble. I don’t hear him running his mouth about his abilities or things that’s happening for him. He understands that a lot of his success is because of the people around him. He’s not too egotistical to think that he’s doing it all by himself. ... Not only is he a great player, he approaches the game the right way. He’s here everyday. He works hard everyday. If he was a great player, and didn’t do those things, he would be a distraction, and he’s not. He makes the people around him better.”

Johnson’s next chance to prove himself will come Friday night when the Zebras host Watson Chapel at 7 p.m.