Johnson's hair, performance stand out at Five-Star Challenge
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ATLANTA – Netori Johnson and Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman have a bet: If Johnson plays up to expectations when he gets to Athens, then his dyed hair is no problem. If he does not, then Johnson has to get rid of it.
For the four-star offensive guard from Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove, that is enough motivation to be successful.
“I’m most definitely going to keep it through college,” Johnson said of his colorful hair last week at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Presented by Under Armour - this time red with flashes of purplish pink.
“Coach Pittman was saying if I play up to my potential then he’ll let me keep it. If I don’t he’s going to make me take it out. That’s motivation to keep my hair because this is a part of me and this is what I like.”
The 6-foot-4, 325-pound four-star has been coloring his hair wacky colors since middle school and he does not intend to stop. After getting his mother’s approval, Johnson went to the beauty store, picked up some colors and got down to business.
It caught on. Sometimes it’s blue and purple. Sometimes it’s red and pink. Whatever Johnson is feeling at that time, there’s no hesitancy. He heads to the store, buys some bottles and away he goes.
“I dye my hair like this because it’s fun for me,” Johnson said. “It’s something I do, switching up designs and switching up colors. I’ve been doing this for a long time.
“I started off with basic blonde and I felt like throwing some color in there. I asked my mom if I could do red and once I did red I started doing all types of colors. After that I’ve been switching it up. I asked my mom if I could do two colors. I just did it and everybody started liking it so I kept two colors. I just go to the beauty supply store and I grab the two colors I want and I’m going to put them in my hair.”
Johnson’s unique hair designs match his personality. An outgoing person, the Georgia commit was seen laughing and yucking it up with other top prospects in the players’ lounge at the Five-Star Challenge. He jokes around, has a light-hearted demeanor and a bright smile.
That is until he steps on the field. Then Johnson is a tough, hard-nosed, no-nonsense offensive guard who isn’t afraid to get physical, isn’t hesitant to absolutely dominate defensive tackles. Don’t let the hair fool you.
“Johnson is an infectious personality who gets everyone loose and also gets everyone smiling yet fired up at the same time,” Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell said. “On the field he’s a ferocious guard who is adept at playing low with run blocking as his specialty but he’s got good feet in pass pro as well. His hair color says it all, he doesn’t take life too seriously and has fun with everything and he’s one of my favorite kids to cover this year.”
Something else Johnson takes seriously is the recruiting process, at least while it was still active. After committing early to Alabama, the four-star flipped to Georgia and is not looking back.
The in-state prospect has developed a great relationship with first-year coach Kirby Smart and especially Pittman – at least as long as the offensive line coach allows Johnson to keep his unique hair.
All kidding aside, though, Johnson said he found a home at Georgia, close to his family and a perfect fit for many reasons.
“I’m really happy I’m done,” Johnson said. “That’s the school for me. It has everything I was looking for in a school and that’s why I committed.
“Georgia is about an hour-and-a-half from my home so that’s not far for my mom to drive to. Kirby is bringing something new. He’s bringing a lot of new prospects in, a lot of them are my friends and there are a lot of great players who I would love to play with and the education is great so that’s why it’s the school for me.
“It was a little difficult (to decommit from Alabama) but at the same time it wasn’t difficult because to me Alabama and Georgia, it’s two different environments with the schools so therefore it really wasn’t a hard decision for me.”
The next difficult decision for Johnson? Blue or purple hair dye for his summer look.