Entering his junior season, Troy native John Johnson is tasked with stepping up and helping lead a young group of wide receivers at Troy University.

“We have a lot a whole lot of numbers, but not many them have made plays while at Troy,” said head coach Neal Brown said. “We have depth when it comes to numbers, but not in experience.”

Johnson enters the season with the most experience among receivers. Johnson’s 24 games played doubles that of both Deondre Douglas and Ismail.

Johnson has 34 career receptions compared to seven by Saleem and 21 by Douglas.

“If you look two deep across the board, there aren’t a lot of receptions,” Brown said. “John Johnson had more than the others combined … We are more talented then we were last year, but there are a lot of guys that are unproven.”

One of the leaders along with Johnson this year will be Emmanuel Thompson. The junior enters the season with 23 games under his belt, 31 receptions and three touchdowns.

Thompson has been battling a leg injury throughout camp, but Brown is hopeful he will return.

“We took a hit with Emmanuel,” Brown said. “It’s going to be a little longer than we initially thought, but I still feel good about him playing early in the season.”

Until Thompson returns, Johnson will take up the leadership role. “I am filling the shoes of some of the past players,” he said. “I am trying to set the example for the freshman coming in.”

Johnson believes in the potential of his fellow receivers.

“We can go as far as we let ourselves go,” Johnson said. “Everybody that has come in has already contributed a lot. We can great if we want to be.”

Offensive coordinator Kenny Edenfield believes the best is yet to come from Johnson.

“In his first year he played at inside receiver and rotated a little bit,” Edenfield said. “Last year he moved to the outside which was an adjustment for him. He played a lot of football and caught a lot of balls. I think he really worked hard over the summer in his leadership role. During practice he has gotten better. He hit a little dry spell for a couple days. He is fighting through that, and I think at the end of the year he will play his best football”

Johnson and quarterback Brandon Silvers began playing together in 2014, and that relationship will be key to Johnson’s success on the field.

“Me and Brandon have been friends since I got here,” Johnson said. “As I have continued to move up in the ranks, my relationship with him has gotten even better. He is a great quarterback. He trusts us, which is the most important thing.”

Johnson’s ultimate goal is to help the Trojans return to post-season play.

“A successful season for me would be for us to win the Sun Belt Championship and going to a bowl game.”