It’s not often that a college football team has the same quarterback for several years running. But Bentley head coach Thom Boerman and his Falcons are counting experience on their side as graduate student Bryant Johnson leads the offense for a third straight season.
After redshirting as a freshman and maintaining an extra year of eligibility, Johnson served as a backup in his sophomore year, playing in eight games. He earned the starting job as a junior and led the Falcons to a three-way share of the Northeast-10 regular season title. The Hopedale, Mass., native threw for 2,436 yards and 19 touchdowns, and completed 58.4 percent of his passes.
Johnson followed up that performance with an NE-10 MVP season in his senior year, throwing for more than 2,100 yards, improving his completion percentage to a gaudy (and school record) 65.9 percent, tossing 18 touchdowns, and running for five more scores. Even with his excellent play, Bentley fell short of repeating as NE-10 champs – but did end the year with a four-game winning streak.
The unfinished business only strengthened Johnson’s resolve to return. “From the time I took my redshirt year, I knew I was going to play a fifth year,” he says. “I’ve had such a great experience playing for Bentley that I couldn’t imagine not playing this year.”
Johnson is primed for another big season. The continuity of having run the same offense for three years has built a sense of trust between him and the coaching staff, allowing more freedom to call audibles at the line of scrimmage and offer ideas when devising game plans during the week.
“The coaches and I are always communicating and working on new wrinkles to keep defenses guessing,” says Johnson, who is pursuing an MBA with concentrations in accountancy and financial planning.
The Falcon receiving corps took a bit of a hit with the graduation of last season’s three top targets: Kyle Tuthill, John Malone and tight end Mike Slattery. But Wade Critides, who had six touchdown receptions in 2010, is back for a fifth year, and several young players are ready to step in.
To get more comfortable with his new receivers, Johnson threw to them during the summer. He and his teammates also played seven-on-seven against Harvard to work on timing of routes against a live defense. With a steady running game and an offensive line projected to have four of five starters returning, the Bentley offense shouldn’t miss a beat.
While appreciating the individual accolades, Johnson is focused on getting Bentley to the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I couldn’t be more excited to play and enjoy every day of my last season,” he says. “We have a lot of guys who are really committed to winning and want to see this team succeed. Making the NCAAs has been a team goal since I got here, and this could be the year we do it.”