What's in store for Choctaw's Isaiah Johnson after back-to-back state titles?

To hear Isaiah Johnson talk about a future in the NFL, it seems more like an inevitability than a pipe dream.

Maybe it's because Big Green alumnus Richie Grant forged that path not too long ago with the Atlanta Falcons. Maybe it's because fellow wideout Jayce Brown made such a giant splash as just a freshman at Kansas State University last year. Maybe it's because teammate Cole Tabb, a four-star prospect headed to Stanford, is right there with him in his pursuits.

Or maybe, just maybe, it's because when Johnson commits to any sport, he has a way of instantly being the best athlete on the hardwood, the track and, of course, the gridiron.

We saw it on Friday nights as he piled up 1,158 and 14 touchdowns as Jesse Winslette's favorite target, his final game producing a 119-yard, two touchdown effort despite an ankle injury and a broken finger.

And we saw it most recently as Johnson won his second straight 3A long jump title, all while helping the 4x100m relay medal in second and the 4x400m relay capture bronze.

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"There was negative headwind, so my goal was just to make my best jumps," Johnson said. "After winning it all last year, my whole goal was to win it again this season."

That he did. Soon we'll see that athleticism on Saturdays at Western Carolina University, where coaches understandably wanted him to double dip in track and field and football. But his tunnel vision is on the big picture: playing on Sundays.

"I'm trying to go to the NFL," said Johnson, who was asked, why Western Carolina?

"Just their offense and they throw the ball a lot, so I can show out," he said, the Catamounts coming off a 7-4 season last year. "I was told my role as a receiver is just go one-on-one with the DB and win the ball and make plays. That's what I've done my whole career."

As for the recent surge of Choctaw players excelling at the next level, Johnson said "it starts in the weight room with coach Addison Kendrick and with coach Beasley and Pacheco always pushing us through to be our very best."

Johnson will depart for Western Carolina on June 27th. Until then he'll spend time with his family and friends and hit the gym daily, just savoring this time before college starts and the road to the NFL begins.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Choctawhatchee Isaiah Johnson wins FHSAA long jump 3A title