Chattanooga native Patrick Johnson is preparing for the fifth season of an NFL career that includes playing in Super Bowl LVII, but for the 27-year-old Philadelphia Eagles linebacker, none of his football memories outshine the ones from his days at Notre Dame High School.
Now he’s set for a sweet homecoming next Friday, June 20, when Johnson will return to his old stomping grounds to host a free youth football camp for ages 8-14. The event at Notre Dame (2701 Vermont Ave.) is from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and parents or guardians of potential campers are asked to register as soon as possible at Bit.ly/PatrickJohnsonCamp to ensure a spot.
“I am super thankful and excited to be able to give back to the coaches, staff, kids and school that shaped me,” said Johnson, who was a Times Free Press Dynamite Dozen selection ahead of his senior season at Notre Dame in 2016 as one of the area’s top college football prospects.
“I am so excited for the camp, and we are going to have an awesome time. I am going to run around with the kids, because I know how cool it would have been for me when I was their age if I had a professional athlete out there running through drills and sweating and having some fun with me. Hopefully, they will make a lot of memories.”
One could say the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Johnson bleeds green, as he went from playing for the Fighting Irish in high school to four years of college football for the Tulane Green Wave and is now suiting up for the Eagles, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2021 draft.
Some of Johnson’s best friends, though, are former classmates from St. Jude School and Notre Dame.
“So many memories come back any time I step over there on campus,” Johnson said. “I have so many great memories with coaches and teammates under the Friday night lights. That is something I still miss as a professional. You don’t get that back.
“It’s amazing being a professional, and even more than I thought it would be when I was younger, but the memories made under the Friday night lights are probably my favorite memories as a football player.”
Johnson was on the field for 24 special teams plays in Super Bowl LVII, when the Eagles lost 38-35 after the Kansas City Chiefs kicked a field goal in the final seconds of the title matchup on Feb. 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
In 60 career NFL games, Johnson has totaled 39 tackles (including 16 on special teams), 11 quarterback pressures, four quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. In college, where lined up at end in Tulane’s defense, he set the program record for career sacks with 24.5, reaching double digits in that statistic during his sophomore and senior seasons for the American Athletic Conference program. He earned all-conference recognition every season except his freshman year.
After spending last season with the New York Giants, one of Philadelphia’s rivals in the NFC East Division, Johnson is thrilled to be back with the Eagles for a fourth season and believes he is poised to make the biggest impact of his professional career with the reigning Super Bowl champions. The Eagles were led by a dominant defense in February as they beat the Chiefs 40-22 to win Super Bowl LIV at the Superdome in New Orleans, denying Kansas City’s bid to win a third straight NFL title.
Veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is back for a second straight season in Philadelphia, and so are many of the big names on that side of the ball, but the group will look different in some places.
“Our outside linebacker room is an open room with some spots that there will be a lot of competition for,” said Johnson, who signed a one-year deal with the Eagles in March. “I am going to go in there and hopefully earn a starting job. We have some great guys in there, and Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith are some of my best friends now.
“The biggest reason I came back is my (position) coach, Jeremiah Washburn. He has helped me develop into a really good football player. I had no question signing back, knowing the opportunity I was going to be given after Brandon Graham retired and Josh Sweat signed with Arizona. We don’t have too many vets. Getting this opportunity as a fifth-year guy is going to be a really big opportunity for me. This is a great organization with great people.”
Johnson was listed as just a two-star prospect by recruiting services coming out of high school, but he became a college star and hopes to continue to show his resilience, work ethic and discipline as a pro.
Next week, though, he’s excited to look back on his high school days — and give back to the community where he grew up by inspiring the next generation of talent.
“God has gifted me the opportunity to be a very good athlete,” Johnson said. “He has taken care of me and given me the right opportunity at the right time. I am super thankful and blessed. I can’t get out of that green. I have been in it for over 12 years now through high school, college and professionally. I can’t complain. Green is my favorite color.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.