Former Texas Longhorns linebacker Derrick Johnson made his way back to his hometown of Waco on Saturday for his induction into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
A member of the Kansas City Chiefs since he was drafted in 2005, Johnson played at Texas from 2001 through 2004, becoming one of the most decorated defenders in school history. As a senior, he earned the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defensive player and the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker. In addition, Johnson was also a finalist for the Bednarik Award (nation's top defensive player), the Lombardi Award (nation's top lineman), and the Lott Trophy (defensive player of the year) in 2004.
Now heading into his 11th season with the Chiefs, the 6'3, 242-pounder ranks third in school history in tackles (458), first in tackles for loss (65), and first in interceptions among linebackers (9). He set the UT single-season record for forced fumbles with nine in 2004 when he was a unanimous first-team All-American.
There were some questions about Johnson's future after he tore his Achilles tendon in the season opener last season, but the Team Chairman made it clear that the team leader will remain in Kansas City to finish out his contract, which has one more season remaining:
"Derrick is obviously one of the greatest inside linebackers to ever play for the club and there are some pretty good ones, if you go back in time," Hunt said, per The Kansas City Star. "In terms of the modern era of the Chiefs, it's hard to think about the club without thinking about Derrick at inside linebacker. He's a great leader, he's a tremendous person, represents the club well on and off the field. We're looking forward to having him back this year, hopefully good as new.
"You mentioned that his contract is up this year. There will be a point in time where we address that," he said. "But it just hasn't been germane to this point."
Wide receiver Jordan Shipley also received his induction into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.