Prior to Ben Johnson’s first appearance as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s starting 141-pounder, coach Heath Eslinger indicated that he had high hopes for the former Baylor wrestler.
“He has unlimited potential. The sky’s the limit,” Eslinger said.
Eslinger wasn’t so sure when he assumed UTC’s head coaching reins from Chris Bono. Johnson had been struggling academically.
Johnson lost to Missouri’s Nicholas Hucke 6-3 last Sunday, and the Mocs fell to the 19th-ranked Tigers 24-14. For Johnson, though, putting on the varsity singlet was a success. He has made enough progress to regain acceptable academic standing.
“It felt good to make my first start, but I don’t feel like I’m where I need to be. My mat time is down because of not making the grades last year,” he said. “Without the grades I can’t wrestle, and it showed. I didn’t finish when I got in on my takedowns, and I didn’t look too good on bottom.”
Johnson did well enough (a 2.8 grade point average) in his redshirt year two seasons ago.
“I guess I slacked off last year, and it cost me and the team,” he said.
When 133-pound Steve Hromada called it quits, Johnson was a likely replacement. His second-year classroom performance eliminated him from contention, however. He said he dropped from that 2.8 to a 1.0.
“I had to work hard at Baylor,” he said. “I guess the difference was that there were disciplines there for not going to class; not here. There’s a lot of freedom and I wasn’t disciplined enough.
“I was working out and sleeping in, and I often slept in rather than doing what I was supposed to do,” he said. “You have to take responsibility for being on your own here, and you’re making choices. … I was lazy. When it came to studying, I skimmed. There are times even now that I’m lazy, but I’m more cognizant of what I have to do.”
Johnson’s first step was to face his parents with the news. He took a step away from wrestling to square away the academics, in itself a major sacrifice.
“It was tough for me and definitely a surprise to them,” he said. “I don’t think they ever thought about me having a problem (academically). Their expectations had always been there, but this was more about me growing up and being mature.”
Johnson wasn’t ready to give up wrestling, and the sport’s absence drove him harder. The Mocs had 13 wrestlers with GPAs of 3.0 or better last semester. Johnson wasn’t one of them but is getting closer.
“I’m at 2.0 or a little higher. It isn’t where I’d like, but I am definitely turning it around,” he said. “I’d like to get a 3.0 this semester and I’d like to get my cumulative up to a 3.0 or better.”
“When we talk about academics, it isn’t just to make sure the guys are eligible,” Eslinger said. “We have some kids with a 2.75 that are capable of 3.5 and we’re pushing them to reach that, and we have some kids with a 3.5 that we’re pushing to make that 4.0. It’s the same as wrestling. You have to maximize your potential.
“With guys like Ben, it is changing their mindsets. They are only going to wrestle four or five more years of their lives. What they do academically is going to have a dramatic impact on their lives for the next 60 years.”
Johnson said he’s getting that now.
“You can wrestle and study or you can wrestle and party, or you can party and study,” he said. “Coach talks about living the lifestyle. I guess I finally bought in when I became ineligible. I wasn’t doing the right things.
“I had to learn a lesson the hard way, but I feel am a stronger person because of it.”