Jeff Brohm expects Jamari Johnson to be playmaker at tight end for Louisville football

When Jamari Johnson joined Louisville football, tight ends coach Ryan Wallace was intentional about balancing understanding and expectation.

He understood that Johnson is far from his family in Inglewood, California — where he moved after leaving New York in 2021 — and tried to support him. He’s also aware that Johnson just started playing tight end as a junior in high school after being a quarterback his whole life.

“The patience factor's gotta be there in the spring,” Wallace said. “You're more of a teacher than you are trying to grind them. And I think especially with Jamari last year, there had to be an understanding from myself and the rest of our staff that, hey, he's got it. He needs time to develop. He needs time to get this stuff down.”

Johnson, who turned 18 in July, had that time as a freshman in the fall, playing in five games. With a year of college experience and four as a tight end, he is expected to be a bigger contributor for the Cardinals this fall.

U of L coach Jeff Brohm has consistently emphasized the tight ends' importance in his offense. Former Purdue tight end Payne Durham, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, delivered for Brohm. In his second year leading his alma mater, Brohm expects Johnson to be a playmaker this season.

“Coach Brohm, these tricky plays,” Johnson said. “It's an explosive offense. You've got to be a really good tight end to play in this offense.”

Though Wallace said the Cardinals have “some stuff in our back pocket” for Johnson as a quarterback, he's still on his way to becoming a solid tight end. The 6-foot-5 Johnson worked with strength and conditioning coach Domenic Reno to go from about 280 to 265 pounds in a year. In that time, Wallace noticed an increased maturity in Johnson’s diet, workouts and practices. That part was a piece of (healthy) cake compared to learning Brohm’s playbook.

“It's probably like that big,” Johnson said, holding his hands apart in a space that a family Bible could fit comfortably in.

He said things didn’t start clicking for him until a couple of weeks ago during spring practices, when he took some first-team reps and also played with the first team during the spring game. Johnson relied on an innate ability to catch the football to help with the transition and has been lauded by his coaches for it. Because he’s naturally gifted, Johnson routinely makes one-handed catches during practice.

“He does it so nonchalantly sometimes that you just kind of lose sight of how good it is,” Wallace said.

Those highlight-worthy plays are great, but Wallace and the Cardinals’ coaching staff often remind Johnson that he needs to catch with both hands and be more consistent.

Getting better at pass blocking is the next step in Johnson's development. With Johnson being a former QB, blocking doesn’t come as naturally. Neither does getting in a three-point stance. Johnson identified blocking as one of his weaknesses, “but it's getting there,” he said. Last season, he graded out at 69.4 in pass blocking, per Pro Football Focus.

“He's becoming a more physical player at the line of scrimmage,” Wallace said. “He's becoming more physical in his routes. He understands what his body type is and what he's good at and what he needs to make up for. You're starting to see him play like that consistently.”

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Jeff Brohm expects Jamari Johnson to be star for Louisville football