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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Johnson Signs With NFL's Titans
5/14/2001 | Football
May 14, 2001
OXFORD, Miss. - Linebacker Shawn Johnson of Brewton, Ala., is the latest member of the Ole Miss Rebels to sign a free agent professional football contract after agreeing to terms with the Tennessee Titans.
Johnson is the sixth Ole Miss senior to sign a free agent contract with a National Football League team this spring. Earlier signees included offensive lineman Keydrick Vincent with the Pittsburgh Steelers, offensive lineman Shane Grice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, wide receiver Grant Heard with the San Francisco 49ers, defensive end Shane Elam with the 49ers, and quarterback Romaro Miller with the Minnesota Vikings.
Three other Rebels were chosen during the recent NFL draft -- running back Deuce McAllister in the first round by the New Orleans Saints, defensive back Ken Lucas in the second round by the Seattle Seahawks, and defensive end Derrick Burgess in the third round by the Philadelphia Eagles.
After transferring from Northwest (Miss.) Community College prior to the 1998 season, Johnson helped lead the Rebels to three straight bowl games, the Sanford Independence Bowl in 1998 and 1999 and the Music City Bowl in 2000.
Although he saw action in three games in 1998, Johnson received a medical redshirt due to a knee injury suffered against South Carolina, which allowed him to retain two years of eligibility.
As a junior in 1999, he played in all 12 games, starting six at middle linebacker, and received the Defensive Newcomer Award from the Rebel Club of Jackson.
Johnson led the 2000 Ole Miss team in tackles with 78 as he saw action in all 12 games, drawing the starting assignment 10 times. He did not start against Vanderbilt or Kentucky when limited by an ankle injury.
While at Ole Miss, Johnson had 124 tackles, including 12 hits behind the line for a minus 49 yards. He had 3.5 quarterback sacks for a minus 30 yards, caused two fumbles, had six passes defended, six QB pressures, and one pass interception. His best individual game was against Georgia in 1999 when he had 12 tackles.
