BOULDER — Mustafa Johnson’s path back to the Colorado Buffaloes this season was an unlikely one.
“What I learned is that you don’t have as many times to play as you think. When it comes to an ends, it’s going to come to an end,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “I was at a point where I was like, ‘Dang, what’s gonna happen next?'”
Johnson was a senior defensive lineman for the Buffaloes in 2020, with hopes of making a run at the NFL. His odds were decent. He produced 18 pressures, the third-most in the conference among defensive linemen. Only one lineman produced more hurries.
But nobody picked Johnson in the 2020 NFL Draft and he never signed on in the league as an undrafted free agent. He worked out with the New York Jets—he says the tryout went well—but he was never offered a contract.
“Luckily I got his opportunity,” Johnson said.
The opportunity to continue to play at Colorado stems from a couple of lucky breaks. First of all, the NCAA granted all football players an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic, meaning Johnson was eligible to play a second senior season in 2021. He never signed on with a professional team, so he retained his amateur status. He also accepted an upfront payment from his agent, which he had to pay back before he was allowed to come back to college football. That portion resulted in a four-game suspension.
During that suspension, Johnson volunteers to serve on the practice squad.
“I knew that me being over there taking reps wouldn’t be beneficial for the team because I’m not going to be playing those first four games,” Johnson said. “It would be beneficial for me to be on the scout team giving looks and doing whatever I can to help the offense.”
Johnson wasn’t in football shape when he returned to Boulder just before the season opened. Working with the scout team helped him make up for missing fall camp.
“There’s a huge change in going from being in training to doing explosive work to playing football,” Johnson said.
Even when it was time to play, Johnson still didn’t feel like himself.
“My first couple of games, for me personally, seemed real rusty,” Johnson said. “I think it comes down to the technique of playing against another man; shedding off blocks.”
The rust is gone now though, and the results are obvious. Johnson contributed six pressures on Saturday, after providing seven in his first four games of the season.
None of those pressure turned into sacks, though.
“I had three pressures alone where I was on his ankles and I’ve gotta finish, as a whole we’ve got to finish,” Johnson said. “From a personal standpoint, it’s like, ‘Dang, I’m not getting sacks. Something’s messed up with this game.’ But at the same time the quarterback’s having to hurry. One of them, he ended up throwing a pick.”
Regardless, Johnson is finding his way into the backfield even if he ins’t bringing the quarterback down. Maybe an improved offensive line over the past couple of weeks is helpful. According to Johnson, the group has looked markedly better in practices too.
“It’s crazy. Night and day,” Johnson said. “I don’t really know the technique of what they’re doing as an offensive lineman, but they’re getting into position and they’re doing things.”
For Johnson, that means better work in practice, and with three weeks left in the season, he needs it.
Johnson is on his way to another trip through the NFL draft process, and hopefully he’ll find a home this time around. If not, he’ll likely head to the CFL.
“There’s pressure but I don’t really think about that,” Johnson said. “Going into every game it’s just go time.”
