When East Tennessee State plucked Jarvis Johnson from the transfer portal in January, the Bucs did so hoping Johnson would make an impact. On Saturday against Chattanooga, he delivered … 13 times.
Johnson racked up 13 tackles in ETSU’s 14-3 win over the Mocs, which kept the Bucs (4-2, 2-0) unbeaten in the Southern Conference and captured the Rail Rivalry for the first time in 2018, ending a six-game losing streak to Chattanooga. Named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week, Johnson’s tackle total, which included two stops for loss, was the most for an ETSU defender in a single game since Ty Anderson made 14 tackles last November against The Citadel.
“When we went through spring practice in the summer, there was one guy to me that kind of stood out as like, this guy could be the X factor. And it was Jarvis,” ETSU coach Will Healy said at Monday’s weekly press conference.
Football is in Johnson’s blood. His uncle is Elvis Dumervil, a two-time All-Pro who played 12 seasons in the NFL and led the league in sacks in 2009. Coming out of high school at Westminster Christian Academy in Miami, Johnson was rated the No. 17 prospect in the entire state of Florida in the class of 2024. He racked up 270 career tackles at the prep level, and 1,642 yards rushing with 26 touchdowns in two seasons as a running back.
He appeared in one game for the Owls in his redshirt year of 2024, and played as a backup and on special teams in 2025.
“I’m a third year guy but I haven’t really seen the field that much at my previous school,” Johnson said Monday, adding, “My teammates count on me. So just going out there and just having fun playing this game again, just taking on that role, being a leader and being a player that’s going to go and make plays.”
That athleticism that made Johnson a rather highly regarded high-school prospect was on display Saturday against the Mocs.
“I thought he made some unbelievable sideline to sideline type plays,” Healy added. “We need him to play at a really high level from here on out for us to be the type of team that we want to be and are growing into being.”
The 5-11, 220-pound Johnson stayed active throughout, seemingly flourishing against Chattanooga’s run-heavy offense. That also bodes well for this Saturday’s game at The Citadel (2 PM, ESPN+) considering the Bulldogs have thrown fewer passes than any FCS team in the nation that has played five or more games at this juncture.
It was Johnson’s first time playing in the ETSU-Chattanooga rivalry, but to hear him talk, you would think he had been right there through the previous losses to the Mocs, including last season’s 42-38 gut-punch in Chattanooga. Credit that to veteran defenders like Mike Jenkins, Dre Delinois, and Brenden LeBlanc, for sharing with transfers like Johnson the significance of the Chattanooga series.
“I felt those guys’ pain in the locker room. You’ve got the older guys like Mike and Deli and LeBlanc who have never beat them, and it’s been since 2018 since ETSU had the rail. So, I just wanted to go out there and give it all for those guys. And that’s exactly what I went out there and did.”
Johnson is one of many transfers now holding key roles for the Bucs. On the defense, that group of transfers includes rush end Charles Woodard, defensive lineman Joshia Mason, Jayden Wilson-Abrams, and Tyree’ke Robinson, and starting safety Devin Hunter. It’s especially true on the offensive side, where the list of significant transfers includes starting quarterback Mason Mims, lead running back TJ Peyton, a host of receivers (Suderian Harrison, Brandon Winton, Trey Weary, Tyler Griffin) and both offensive tackles (Sam Browder and Ty Williams).
“I’ll be transparent with you,” Healy said. “I think that a lot of the guys that we have, that we took as transfers, they were coming from places where they weren’t necessarily counted on being the guy. And so when you are the guy, there’s a different expectation, there’s a different standard.”
As Healy noted, that process of transition takes time. It matches what a team usually experiences early in a season, using non-conference play to work out the kinks, get comfortable, and establish roles.
“You go through the first couple weeks, especially the non conference, and you’re trying to kind of figure out who are you,” Healy said. “Who are you when things get difficult? Who are you when truly the lights turn on? And I think the one thing you’re starting to see from Jarvis is he’s becoming very confident in our system, which is freeing him up to play faster. And now his athletic ability has taken over, but he has the ability to be the X factor. And that’s what we’re going to need.”
On his coaches show Monday night, Healy brought up Johnson specifically when talking about transfers, noting “he moves at a different level” and tabbing the Floridian as a potential all-conference player.
“There are so many guys on our team like Jarvis, where they’re just getting better and better and better,” Healy said Monday night.
Conversely, Johnson had some praise for his coach on Monday.
“I’ll say just how genuine he is. I will always be grateful for him. He gave me a chance out the portal. He kind of picked me up later and I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know where I’m going to go.’ ”
Healy reached out to Johnson on the phone, which led to a visit to campus, and a commitment on January 15.
“We just had a really good, genuine conversation … and made me fall in love with this place. And that’s the reason why I came here,” Johnson said.
With half the 2026 season in the books, Johnson looks like the player the Bucs hoped they’d get.