Eugene Johnson
 Beefcake Johnson (2040) | |
| No. 77 – Dallas Birddogs | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive Tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 17, 2020 (aged 40) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight: | 330 lb (150 kg) |
| Username: | Ilmari07 |
| Career information | |
| College: | University of Tennessee |
| DSFL Draft: | 2042 / Round: 5 / Pick: 36 |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Retired |
Eugene "Beefcake" Johnson (born October 17, 2020) was an American football defensive tackle. He played college football for University of Tennessee (UT).
Early years
Eugene Rayshawn Johnson was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. Growing up, he was nicknamed "Beefcake", due to his massive size, a nickname that stuck to him on the football field. Originally, he was more interested in playing baseball, but his lack of speed and agility forced the first baseman to take on football. In his final two high school years, Johnson played both offensive guard and defensive tackle on his football team, where his overpowering strength made him the number three recruit of his class in his home state of Arkansas.
College career
Johnson attended the University of Tennessee, playing for the Tennessee Volunteers football team. As a freshman, he was used as a rotational defensive tackle, mainly due to his relative lack of experience in high school and struggles as a pass rusher. Despite this, Johnson proved his potential as a run defender, finishing the season with 38 tackles while recording one sack and forcing two fumbles. As a sophomore, Johnson was assigned a bigger role at the interior of the Volunteers defense as he showed some improvements in rushing the passer. He had 46 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and three pass deflections in 11 games before shoulder issues forced him to sit out the rest of the season. In his junior season, the Volunteers made a slight change to their defensive scheme, allowing Johnson to line up more as a nose tackle. While he didn't put up huge numbers, he was regularly forcing to be double- and sometimes even triple-teamed, which resulted in a lot of unblocked teammates and a overall improvement against the run and pass by the Volunteers. Johnson, who accumulated 47 tackles, four sacks, two pass deflections and even an interception, was dubbed "an inmovable object in the trenches" in what was his last college season as he declared for the DSFL draft.
