Ole Miss football announces Cedric Johnson as winner of Chucky Mullins Courage Award
OXFORD — Ole Miss football announced on Thursday evening that defensive end Cedric Johnson has earned the Chucky Mullins Courage Award for 2023.
Johnson will not wear No. 38, as Mullins did during his career, instead retaining his No. 2 and opting to wear a No. 38 patch. KD Hill, who won the award last season, was the first Ole Miss player to wear No. 38 since Jaylon Jones in 2020.
"It means a lot to me, to say the least. I honestly can't even explain how I'm feeling right now," Johnson said in a release. "It's an honor to be chosen by the coaches and the players."
The award, distributed annually, honors Mullins, whose career ended in a 1989 game against Vanderbilt after he was paralyzed making a tackle. Mullins returned to Ole Miss as a student before his death in 1991.
Johnson is one of the strongest personalities on the Ole Miss defense, and will be a key force in turning it into a cohesive unit under new coordinator Pete Golding, who brought in several transfers to play important parts.
The native of Mobile, Alabama, is entering his fourth season with the Rebels. He has made 72 total tackles in his career to go along with 15.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks.
He joins Hill, Jones and Keidron Smith as the players to receive the honor since Lane Kiffin arrived at Ole Miss prior to the 2020 season.
"[Chucky] means a lot to everyone here," Johnson said. "Just the spirit he carried throughout the whole building, the spirit that he spread onto everyone, just the positive energy that he put on everyone. I feel like I can do that myself, and just bring the positive energy and good spirit to everyone that I touch."
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David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football's Cedric Johnson wins Chucky Mullins Courage Award
