Oh, snap: Ju’Juan Johnson, LSU’s positionless playmaker, joins the quarterback room

There was a meme that went viral around 2018 featuring former NFL lineman Anthony “Spice” Adams playing his now signature role of Cream E. Biggums.

The video shows Biggums in his trademark orange tank top, short-shorts and rec specs doing a spoof of an NFL player introduction, like something you might see on Monday Night Football.

He introduces himself, then proceeds to rattle off all the positions he plays—punt returner, kicker, quarterback, wide receiver, offensive lineman, defensive lineman, fullback, running back, etc. He checks off just about every position on the football field, including head coach and assistant coach.

The comical clip resurfaces at some point each football season when a player makes an impact at multiple positions. But setting jokes aside, Ju’Juan Johnson’s football career isn’t too far from Biggums’ boisterous resume. For as long as he’s been an athlete, he says he’s played multiple positions.

“Ever since I was young, I just played football. It’s harder, but I’ve been doing it my whole life,” Johnson tells 225. “I know my coaches and my teammates are gonna put me in the best situation.”

As young as 6 or 7, he remembers being shuffled all around the offense of his flag football team—any position that could get the ball into his hands.

That continued into his prep career at Lafayette Christian Academy. Johnson says the coaches wanted him to ultimately become the starting quarterback but had him slot in as a wide receiver and situationally at cornerback as an underclassmen.

“I know I’m an athlete—I’m gonna just play football. That’s my job,” Johnson says, putting it simply. “I’m comfortable and confident in my abilities, so at the end of the day, wherever you have to put me and wherever you feel like the team will be the best … just put me in that position, and watch me go to work.”

“He can do things a lot of people can’t. … That’s not easy to do, to switch from running back to quarterback.”

—LSU starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier on his teammate Ju’Juan Johnson

But Johnson didn’t just go to work. He shattered records.

The former Knight finished his high school career as the most productive quarterback in Louisiana prep history, racking up 14,451 total yards and 171 total touchdowns en route to being named Louisiana’s Mr. Football in 2023. He was rated as a four-star prospect and one of the top 10 players in the state. Despite his staggering offensive production, Johnson was primarily being recruited as a safety.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound athlete began his LSU career in 2024, when he says he worked out at the “star” position—essentially a hybrid role combining safety and inside cornerback duties. But it wasn’t long before Johnson was on the move again.

After running back John Emery Jr. was injured, the coaching staff decided to move Johnson back on offense in early September to help out with the tailbacks.

So along with adjusting to life as a college student-athlete, getting caught up with the speed of play in the SEC and trying to learn the entire defensive playbook, Johnson was now also tasked with learning the ins and outs of the offensive scheme.

“It was hard. I’m not gonna lie,” Johnson tells 225. “I was never in the offensive playbook at that time yet. So learning the plays and having to process all of that information at one time was very challenging. But the coaching staff and my teammates helped me throughout the whole process, making sure I was comfortable where I was and comfortable with the playbook and knowing my job—what I had to do.”

Johnson scored a touchdown in his first game at running back against Nicholls State, using his speed to get to the endzone on a 5-yard catch.

He made a few sporadic contributions the rest of the season, finishing the year with seven carries for 14 yards and five catches for 22 yards and the lone touchdown.

Fast forward nearly a full calendar year, and Johnson is yet again working at a new position. The LSU coaches have moved him back to the familiar yet simultaneously foreign quarterback room, where he’ll have to learn the most pivotal playbook on the team.

“It’s a challenging position,” Johnson tells 225. “You’ve got to know everything, and there are definitely some (challenging) pieces you have to pick up, like protections and knowing the receiver’s routes. You’ve got to know where the spot is at, the rhythm of the route—everything. The transition is hard, and I’m still learning right now. It’s a process.”

Johnson said he’s leaned on the experience of starting quarterback and fifth-year senior Garrett Nussmeier throughout the offseason to help pick up the nuances of the position, asking questions and picking Nussmeier’s brain whenever he can.

But with Nussmeier locked in as the starter and Mississippi State transfer Michael Van Buren Jr.—who has eight SEC starts to his name—as the presumed backup, it’s not likely Johnson will take many meaningful snaps at quarterback in 2025.

So where might we see the versatile athlete? Well, just about anywhere.

“We’ll find different ways to give him the football,” Nussmeier tells 225. “He can do things a lot of people can’t. He’s done an unbelievable job coming into the quarterback room. That’s not easy to do, to switch from running back to quarterback. He’s done an unbelievable job not just learning the quarterback position but things he’s gonna have to do at receiver and things he’ll have to do at running back—you know, everywhere. I’m really proud of him and the work he’s put in, and you can expect to see a lot of big things from him.”