
Camp Snapshot: Gators Defensive Back Tre'Vez Johnson
Tuesday, August 24, 2021 | Football, Scott Carter
Meanwhile, Johnson's stepfather had a full day, too. Not long after the Gators stepped off the field, Willie Harris took his position at Wrigley Field as the third-base coach of the Chicago Cubs in their win over Colorado on Monday night. Harris played 12 seasons in the majors and scored the only run in Game 4 of the 2005 World Series, which gave the Chicago White Sox a 1-0 win over Houston for their first World Series title in 88 years.
The 43-year-old Harris, in his first season as a Cubs coach, became Johnson's stepfather during his playing career that ended in 2012. Johnson grew up playing football and baseball before a shoulder injury in high school prompted him to focus primarily on football. Still, Harris' influence crosses from the diamond to the gridiron.
"I think my drives comes from watching him, just being around him as a young kid,'' Johnson said. "I've seen it and been around the big leagues. Now he coaches, so when we go up and see him, I'm still around it. I'll go and hit and be around the players. He has a lot to do with my motivation now, playing and try to make it to the next level."
Johnson grew up in Jacksonville and played at Bartram Trail High School, signing with the Gators in 2020. He is competing for a starting job in the secondary after playing in 12 games as a reserve as a freshman.
As Johnson's football career took off, Harris discovered his post-playing career, first as a manager in the minor leagues and now a big-league coach. His high-energy approach to coaching runners has garnered attention in Chicago. Harris spent last offseason watching Johnson play for the Gators.
When Johnson committed to Florida, Harris applauded his stepson for making the most of his athletic talent.
"It's a great opportunity to go and play football at the University of Florida,'' Harris told the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch. "He's worked extremely hard to get everything he deserves. I'm just a proud pops. I wasn't a big Gator fan until about a week ago."
A center fielder in baseball, Johnson is determined to make a mark for the Gators on the football field. He said he put in a lot of work in the offseason to add muscle and develop a deeper knowledge of Florida's defensive system.
And when he has time, he tries to catch the Cubs and a glimpse of Harris. The two share a passion for the game from many years at the ballpark together.
"I still want to play baseball,'' Johnson said. "In high school, I had surgery on my shoulder and couldn't. My last two years of high school all I did was hit, be the DH, so I just decided to focus on football. I think I'm going to try and get back on a throwing program and see what happens.
"A lot of my motivation comes from just how he carries himself as a coach and off the field. Everything that I'm working for is what he's been through. It's good to have a role model and somebody you see do it."

A CRITICAL COMPONENT: Dan Mullen and Todd Grantham have emphasized time and again the importance of the nickelback position in Grantham's high-risk, high-reward defense. Florida refers to the spot as the STAR position – as in the player filling the role needs to play like a star for the defense to function at a high level. Johnson appears next up for a crack at being a star the way Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was in 2018, Mullen's first season in charge of the Gators. Johnson is versatile and played cornerback and safety in high school, and at 5-f00t-11, 192 pounds, has flashed a willingness to get physical in the box when needed in his brief career. The Gators have been inconsistent at the position since the departure of Gardner-Johnson and need someone to step up at the hybrid position that requires the ability to cover receivers down the field, rush off the edge and help support the run defense – sometimes all in the same series.
THE BIG PICTURE: Johnson is part of a secondary that returns just one starter from a year ago, junior cornerback Kaiir Elam. Of course, that's not necessary a bad thing considering the unit's struggles in 2020. Still, Johnson has limited experience and was used as a reserve in his first year in the program. He had to learn a lot quickly considering that he didn't arrive on campus until June 2020 amidst the altered landscape of the coronavirus pandemic. A year later, Johnson is better equipped to handle an expanded role and adjusted his approach through experience. "Last year, training camp, we didn't have a training camp for real, so kind of slow,'' Johnson said. "Coming out this training camp, it's really a grind. We've got to lock in. So, it's good. I enjoy it. I feel like it brings the team together, let's us come together more, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I think it's an improvement."
QUOTE OF NOTE: I think it could have been better, obviously. I'm not satisfied with how I played. Right now, I'm just working on improving every day, trying to progress every day, get better every day in one little aspect of my game." – Johnson on his freshman season
IN THE HUDDLE: Johnson's numbers from his freshman season are modest: 12 games, 15 tackles, one interception, one tackle for loss, two pass breakups. But considering the circumstances, Johnson deserves credit for coming in and finding a way onto the field in every game as a true freshman. With so much uncertainty around the secondary heading into the season – he has split reps at STAR with Kamar Wilcoxson and Jordan Young among others – Johnson has a golden opportunity to make a name for himself at the position and be much more than a role player in 2021. "I'm taking reps wherever the coaches need me,'' he said. "I've been at STAR and a little bit on the back end, but wherever they need me, that's where I'm at."