Big 12 Football: 50 best players of all-time
By Randy Gurzi
851. . LB. Longhorns . Derrick Johnson. 10. player
Big 12 Football best players of all-time: 10. Derrick Johnson, LB, Texas football
When the name Derrick Johnson is mentioned in the college football world, fans can’t help but think about an extremely dominant linebacker. Johnson was a three-year starter for the Longhorns but was a major contributor for all four seasons that he was on Mack Brown’s roster.
As a freshman, he rotated into the defense and had 83 tackles with 17 going for a loss. He added 4.5 sacks and three pass defenses. From there, he never had fewer than 120 tackles, netting that many in 2002 followed by 125 and 130 in his final season.
Johnson also had 69 tackles for a loss, 10.5 sacks, nine interceptions, 30 pass breakups, and 11 forced fumbles. Numbers such as those aren’t come by easily. Johnson was just that special and always knew how to get around the football, whether he was defending the run or the pass.
He was also highly decorated during his time in Austin, earning two First-Team All-American honors in 2003 and 2004. He was also given the Dick Butkus Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy for his sensational senior season.
Once his career at Texas was done, Johnson was taken at No. 15 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs and played for them for 13 seasons. He spent six games with the Oakland Raiders in 2018 but was released before midseason. Even so, he had a long and successful NFL career that lasted until he was 36 years old.