D'Ernest Johnson

Photo by: Travis Pendergrass / Full Focus

Photo by: Travis Pendergrass / Full Focus

Position:
Running Back
Height:
5-10
Weight:
208
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Immokalee, Fla.
High School:
Immokalee HS

HONORS
2016 SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE (RETURN SPECIALIST)
PAUL HORNUNG AWARD CANDIDATE
2015 TEAM CO-OFFENSIVE MVP
USF GAME RECORD FOR ALL-PURPOSE YARDS (281)
USF CAREER ALL-PURPOSE YARDS LEADER (4,186)
USF CAREER RECEIVING YARDS LEADER FOR A RUNNING BACK (909)
USF CAREER RECEPTIONS LEADER FOR A RUNNING BACK (73)

JOHNSON'S CAREER HIGHS
Rushes 24, vs. Temple (9/21/17)
Rushing Yards 111, at ECU (9/30/17)
Long Rush 50, at San Jose State (8/26/17)
Rushing TDs 3, vs. FSU (9/24/16)
Receptions 6, vs. South Carolina, Birmingham Bowl (12/29/16)
Receiving Yards 95, South Carolina, Birmingham Bowl (12/29/16)
Receiving TDs 2, 2X, last at Florida State (9/12/15)
Long Reception 71 (TD), at Florida State (9/12/15)
TD Pass 1, 2X, last vs. WKU in Miami Beach Bowl (12/21/15)
All-Purpose Yards 281 vs. Cincinnati (11/26/15
Long Kickoff Return 54, vs. Cincinnati (11/20/15)
Kickoff Return Yards 181, vs. Cincinnati (11/20/15)
Kickoff Return Average 45.25 (4), vs. Cincinnati (11/20/15)

CAREER: Finished his career as USF's all-time leader in all-purpose yardage with 4,186 yards, including 1,796 career yards rushing...set USF records for a running back with 73 receptions for 909 yards...scored 29 career touchdowns, including 16 rushing, 12 receiving and 1 punt return.

2017: Graduated in fall 2017… selected to play in the 93rd East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg... USF’s career leader in all-purpose yards (4,186) after breaking former teammate Marlon Mack’s career program record of 4,107 all-purpose yards… totaled 796 rushing yards on 193 carries (4.1 ypc) and seven touchdowns in 12 games (nine starts)… also has caught 11 passes for 153 yards (13.9 ypc) and two touchdowns… returned nine punts for 51 yards and 12 kicks for 241 yards (20.1 ypr)… rushed for a career-high 111 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries against at East Carolina (9/30), which was his third straight 100-yard rushing game… rushed for 106 yards on a career-high 24 carries against Temple (9/21)… rushed for 101 yards on 17 carries against Illinois (9/15)… has rushed for at least 84 yards in six games, including a 99-yard, two-touchdown performance in the season opener at San Jose State (8/26)… started the season on the Paul Hornung Award watch list.

2016: American Athletic Conference Second-Team selection as return specialist…the Hornung Award candidate ranked eighth in the FBS with a punt return average of 11.8 yards…appeared in all 13 games and scored at least one TD in 10 games…owns the USF career receiving yards record for a running back with 756 yards...tied for second on USF's career receptions chart for a running back with 62, six away from the record…ranked third on the team in scoring with 84 points (8 rushing TD, 5 receiving TD, 1 return TD)…rushed for a career high of 543 yards and eight touchdowns…caught 28 passes for 293 yards with five TD catches…ranked fourth on the team with 1,280 all-purpose yards…posted his first career 100-yard rushing game with 107 yards against Navy (10/28)…set a career high with an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown at Syracuse (9/17)…matched his career high with three rushing touchdowns and posted 83 rushing yards against No. 13 Florida State (9/24)... set career highs with six catches for 95 yards in the Birmingham Bowl (12/29).

2015: Named offensive co-MVP and received a Leadership Award at the team's annual awards banquet… appeared in all 13 of the team's games, including one start…third on the team with 1,251 all-purpose yards, posting yards rushing, receiving and in both punt and kickoff returns...set a record for a running back with four TD catches on the year...accounted for seven touchdowns, including passing for two...ran for 307 yards and a touchdown on 71 carries…second on the team with 26 receptions and 356 yards receiving...his four receiving touchdowns ranked third on the team…returned 21 kickoffs for 563 yards…third in the AAC and 16th nationally in kick return average (26.8)…first in conference play in kick return average (30.1)…went 2-for-2 for 63 yards and two touchdowns passing, completing passes of 34 and 29 yards on halfback pass plays...posted a school-record 281 all purpose yards in a 65-27 win over Cincinnati (11/20), carried the ball a career-high 11 times for a career-best 71 yards, catching two passes for 29 yards, and returning four kickoffs for 181 yards (including a 54-yard long)...set career highs with five receptions, 89 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns at No.11/8 Florida St. (9/12), including a 71-yard TD catch…threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Adams and ran nine times for 50 yards in a 28-20 win at UConn (10/17)…made his lone start of the season in the 38-14 win over SMU (10/24), running nine times for 28 yards and scoring his only rushing touchdown of the year on a 1-yard attempt...caught three passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns in the season-opener vs. FAMU (9/4)...caught four passes for 68 yards and ran five times for 34 yards in a win at UCF (11/26)...completed a 34-yard TD pass to Tyre McCants in the Miami Beach Bowl (12/21).

2014: Saw action in all 12 games on the year and finished as the Bulls' second-leading rusher with 46 carries for 150 yards (3.3 ypc)…also caught eight passes for 107 yards and a touchdown and returned eight kickoffs for 157 yards (19.6 ypr), with a 24-yard long…had 414 all-purpose yards…earned the nickname “Clutch” from Coach Taggart for his play late in games…had a season-best 41 yards on 10 carries in a rain-soaked win vs. UConn (9/19)…had a season-best three catches for 39 yards to go with 13 yards rushing in a 14-13 win at SMU (11/15)…had six carries for 33 yards and one, big 10-yard catch for a first down late in the game in a comeback win at Tulsa (10/18)…gained 34 yards on Bulls drive to ice the game…had two catches for 31 yards and rank six times for 14 yards vs. Houston (11/1)…had at least one carry in 11 games…lettered.

High School: Played for coach Richard Dombroski at Immokalee HS…ranked as a four-star recruit and among the top 200 of the Rivals250 by Rivals.com…two-time Naples Daily News All-Area first team (2012-13) and FACA honorable mention…ranked No. 28 in the 2014 Orlando Sentinel Florida Top 100…ran for 744 yards and five touchdowns and made 28 catches for 413 yards and three touchdowns as a senior…logged 1,332 all-purpose yards with 175 on returns including a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown…punted 27 times for 983 yards and a 60 yard punt…helped lead team to 9-3 record…posted 1,855 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing and 28 total touchdowns on his career…ranked No. 18 among running backs nationally and the 29^th best prospect in Florida by Rivals.com…ran for 1,111 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior while making 16 catches for 282 yards and four touchdowns…also recorded 47 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack on defense….2012 honorable mention all-state and first team all-conference pick…helped lead team to Class 5A state championship game…2011 honorable mention all-area…also received offers from Florida, Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Louisville, Georgia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Mississippi.

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