Jermaine Johnson spent less than 12 months with the Florida State football program.

And yet, his legacy will now live on outside Doak Campbell Stadium for years to come.

The former FSU defensive end had his All-American brick unveiled outside the stadium Saturday morning as part of the Seminoles’ Legacy Weekend.

Johnson was honored in a ceremony in front of his family, a large group of recruits visiting FSU this weekend and a group of former FSU football players including Keir Thomas and Jashaun Corbin, two former teammates of his, Jameis Winston, Corey Simon and others.

“I can’t put it all into words, I really can’t,” Johnson said of the honor awarded to all FSU All-Americans in any sport. “Any time Coach (Norvell) congratulates me on everything I’ve done and accomplished, I always say, ‘Thanks for the opportunity.’ Because that’s all you’ve got is an opportunity. God will give you the opportunity. You’ve still got to lift your end of the couch…

“This is my true home. It’s funny this is my home, this is where I’ll always say is home, but this is the school that I spent the least amount of time at. It’s not about the time, it’s not about where you go first, it’s not about how you start. It truly is, cliche and corny, about how you finish. My year here at Florida State, in my head it holds an amount of value to me that I can’t put into words ever.”

In his lone season at FSU in 2021, Johnson became the first first-year player in ACC history to win the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award. He had 12 sacks and 18 tackles for loss, earning a first-team All-America honor from ESPN and CBS Sports and a second-team All-America honor from AP, FWAA and The Athletic.

He entered his final year of eligibility having had success in a smaller role at Georgia and took advantage of the opportunity FSU provided him to become a first-round NFL Draft pick, going 26th overall to the New York Jets in the 2022 draft.

Beyond the on-field impact, Johnson became a critical leader for the Seminoles in all facets and a player who helped lay the groundwork for FSU’s breakthrough 10-win 2022 season after he left.

“We talk about all the time, the people make the place. To be able to be here today and celebrate an accomplishment of a wonderful man that got to spend one year here at Florida State,” Norvell said. “I think back to our first conversation. You’re talking about an opportunity, an opportunity to come be a part of a program not just as a player, not just as a jersey number, not just as being able to fill a role that might have been needed. But to come do it all. To come get an experience, to be a part of a family, to be a part of a brotherhood. To be showcased and celebrated for all that you are and all that you’ve become. I’m so proud of you because we did it. You came and gave everything that you had to this team, to this program, to this department, to this community, to all ‘Noles, past, present and future. You’ve left your legacy.”

FSU AD Michael Alford added, “I’ve been able to work with some of the top programs in the country, two NFL franchises. I’ve seen a lot of athletes come and go. I’ve never seen an athlete come in for 12 months and leave a legacy like Jermaine…He really came in and set the standard for what being a Seminole in this football program is all about.”

Although Winston was long gone from FSU before Johnson arrived, he talked to the Georgia defensive end during his transfer recruitment, helping pitch him on the Seminoles.

“I remember recruiting Jermaine, telling him about the importance of it being his decision…” Winston said. “He was at Georgia, doing God’s work, executing to the highest, but he came here and became one of us and you see where he ended up at.”

Johnson talked a number of times during his season at FSU about how he knew he would look back years from now and realize he helped lay the foundation of the FSU football program under Norvell.

He may not have known it would happen so fast, but that was part of his recruiting pitch to dozens of highly-touted prospects in attendance to watch him get his brick unveiled.

“If you’re a young guy, if you’re thinking about coming to Florida State, do what’s best for you, but at the same time, I always know how much I’ll value this,” Johnson said. “How much I’ll be able to watch as the program goes up, because it will go up and it is going up. It’ll go to the top and it’ll stay at the top. How I can watch that, watch them do that and know that I had a part in it, that will always be special to me.”

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