FLORENCE, Ala. (August 20, 2023) – Many who know the name Kerryon Johnson likely associate it with football.
 
Whether it was his high school playing days at nearby Madison Academy just outside of Huntsville, his college days carrying the rock at Auburn, or perhaps his days as a second round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. It seems Johnson and football are synonymous and the most natural career progression would be in some sort of staff or coaching role in football.
 
According to Kerryon — the latest addition to the North Alabama Football staff as the Director of Player Development — working in football was not on his radar.
 
"Absolutely not," said Johnson when asked if he always dreamt of working in college football after his playing days. "I'm laughing right now because anyone that knew me before the last two or three years would laugh at that question, too. And where I am now, they would still probably laugh. But no, I did not."
 
After hanging up the cleats in 2022 after a short stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, Johnson had a change of heart thanks to relationships with some of the coaches at UNA. One of those being former Auburn analyst and now first year UNA head coach Brent Dearmon.
 
"I remember when I was an analyst at Auburn and worked with running backs and it was with Coach (Tim) Horton," recalled Dearmon. "I got to know Kerryon through recruiting back then and just learned what type of person he was and how he cared about people. When I was thinking about this (Director of Player Development) role he was the first guy I thought of. How he can help our players off the field — coping with the mental stress that this game brings. He's just an awesome person, and our kids love him."
 
That relationship, as well as relationships with former Auburn teammate Deshaun Davis and former Opelika standout turned opposing SEC quarterback Jake Bentley, aided Johnson's decision to do what he thought was never in the cards.
 
"The coaching staff and the location really," said Johnson when asked about the decision to join the UNA staff. "I knew I wasn't quite ready to straight abandon the Huntsville area and move all the way across the country to get something. I've known Coach Dearmon for years. I've known Jake for years. I've known Deshaun for years. And the other guys on the staff that I've gotten to know — it's a little different. It's not often at any level you get, in my opinion, a coaching staff that's this involved with its players."
 
Seeing and hearing about the camaraderie in the UNA program made it all click.
 
"Those were the kind of things that when Coach Dearmon was talking to me about this stuff — it just kind of made sense for me," Johnson added. "That's the kind of energy you want to be around. Those are the people you want to work with. I didn't want to work with people that I didn't like or didn't want to be around — and I don't have that issue here. It was a pretty easy choice."
 
The Lions – North Alabama, that is — were just an hour down the road from Kerryon's stomping grounds. Though he did not frequent the Shoals as much growing up, relocating to Northwest Alabama has provided him a deeper appreciation of the school and the community.
 
"It's been up the street the whole time — I just never made it over here and never really knew the history," said Johnson. "But getting to know some of the people around here, and Coach Dearmon bringing back some of those people back that take so much pride in this area and trying to re-install that into the team…that's a big thing. It's cool to be able to learn something about a new area and meet a new person. And sometimes they know me, which makes it even cooler. It's been very awesome being here."
 
Johnson's career took him from Madison Academy, where he rushed for 1,659 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior, to the college level, where he was heavily recruited and ultimately chose Auburn, to the NFL where he played four seasons.
 
Many college football players have the goal of making the pros one day. Johnson has been there and wants to help others take the same path.
 
"My player development role is pretty much newcomers and freshmen — anybody new to college football or first time here at UNA in general — and helping them get acclimated and how to deal with things that may arise mentally and physically. Being away from your family and not having immediate access to them expect for a phone call can be challenging. That's my role. Just being there for them as someone that's not their coach."
 
Turns out, maybe working in football was meant for Johnson after all.
 
North Alabama Football opens the 2023 season in six days with the FCS Kickoff in Montgomery, Ala. against Mercer. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. inside the historic Crampton Bowl. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN's flagship channel.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.