TSW Exclusive: Clem Johnson

As noted in my National Signing Day entry, a few of the players coming on board are from the Junior College (JuCo) ranks. One of the four this season is Clem Johnson. He's a 5'11" 190lb Cornerback from Valley Forge Military College in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Some former VFMC players include Julian Peterson ('98) of the Seattle Seahawks, Larry Fitzgerald ('02) of the Arizona Cardinals, and Karl Hankton ('90) of our Carolina Panthers. Clem was "Offensive Player of the Year" both his freshman and sophomore years at VFMC. He told me that he "had offers from Arkansas, West Virginia, Central Michigan, Temple and Akron." He even committed to Temple last summer, but changed his commitment within the past month. Clem was slated to play tailback for the Owls. When I asked Clem about his decision to attend State he had this to share:

"I chose to come to NC State because I enjoyed my visit. The academic support seemed to be very strong with the coaches being involved and the tutors showing a lot of interest in the players. I will have a good chance to start at the safety position and I feel good about the whole coaching staff and the players. Plus we're going to be good next year!"

Last year at Safety was basically J.C. Neal and that's it as far as I remember. Neal was tied for 10th on the team with 38 tackles (27 solo, 2 Tackle for Loss). Contending at the safety position this year are: Jimmaul Simmons, a redshirt Freshman and All-Conference Wide Receiver at New Hanover High School in Wilmington; Justin Byers, another RS Freshman who was MVP of the Shrine Bowl in 2007 and hails from Charlotte; and Javon Walker, a RS Sophomore from Homestead, FL. From my experience, Clem is a genuinely nice guy and excited about the things Tom O'Brien is doing here at NC State. Thank Clem for the thoughts and best of luck this season.