COD quarterback Stephen Johnson II signs with Kentucky

Stephen Johnson II arrived at College of the Desert behind schedule late last July. The Roadrunners had already begun preseason camp, and though Johnson had recently played at a Division I program, few people in the college football world even knew who he was.

Roughly six months later, Johnson has made up for lost time and his name is now a familiar one among college recruiters after passing for 3,210 yards, 34 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games for the Roadrunners.

And on Saturday—the day he signed a letter of intent to play for Kentucky in college football’s preeminent conference—hundreds of fans also began familiarizing themselves with his name.

Stephen Johnson II headlines COD's all-region selections

“It’s been crazy,” said the 6-foot-3 Johnson, who received more than 500 new followers on Twitter Saturday morning as news broke that he was heading to UK. “I’d say everything has worked out perfectly.”

In a vacant COD athletic office, Johnson conducted a series of phone interviews for various news outlets in Lexington, Ky., while friends, family and coaches discussed his future, and perused social media to follow the sudden wave of attention.

“What does ‘BBN’ stand for?” asked Johnson’s father, Stephen Johnson Sr., referencing Big Blue Nation, a rabid fan base and popular hashtag the family will soon be all too familiar with.

Johnson took an official visit to Lexington on Jan. 14 and flew back to California on Friday with new UK offensive coordinator Eddie Gran. But careful not to break any recruiting rules regarding the amount of contact coaches can have with recruits in a single week, Gran could not officially meet with Johnson’s parents in Rancho Cucamonga until the news cycle Saturday morning.

But it was already a done deal. Johnson was already sold on Kentucky.

“It’s a great school, great people around there and just great football,” said Johnson, who also ran for 429 yards and eight scores at COD. “I can’t find a better place to go. It’s a great opportunity for me to go and showcase my ability and compete against some great quarterbacks there.”

While most elite junior college quarterbacks were being recruited during the spring, Johnson was still at Grambling State, where Doug Williams recruited him in 2013. Johnson was the starter as a redshirt freshman in 2014, but fell out of the starting spot following an injury and a coaching change.

Last spring, he played spring ball at Grambling, but soon realized he wouldn’t have a chance to start and left the program in May. He met with Steptoe and COD associate head coach and offensive coordinator Ben Knapp, who ran a spread offense that would be able to showcase Johnson’s abilities.

“We knew we’d be able to do some things in this offense with a kid like that,” Knapp said.

COD QB Stephen Johnson named league player of the year

Already behind, and a small amount of time to prepare for the season, Johnson showed some rust in his first two games at COD. He threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown on his first pass attempt of the season, and ultimately threw four interceptions and zero touchdowns in his first two games, both losses.

But against Antelope Valley in his third game, it all came together. Johnson threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns, igniting a five-game win streak.

In his next game, against San Diego Mesa, Johnson threw for 370 yards and five touchdowns against no interceptions. In the two games following, he passed for a combined 917 yards and 10 touchdowns, while rushing for four more scores.

College recruiters began taking notice.

“He lived up to the hype and then some, man,” Steptoe said. “He was consistently setting our guys up to make plays and he’s someone who made everyone around him better. That was big for us this year.”

Because he transferred during the summer, there were briefly some questions as to whether Johnson II would be eligible to get back into a Division I program this academic year. That turned out to be a non-issue as Johnson completed his coursework at COD over the winter and won’t be suiting up for the Wildcats until the fall.

With two years of eligibility remaining, Johnson is expected to compete for the starting quarterback spot at Kentucky, along with sophomore Drew Barker and incoming freshman Gunnar Hoak. He’ll start classes at UK on Tuesday.

Meet COD's new quarterback Stephen Johnson

Nothing is guaranteed for Johnson once he gets to Kentucky. He hasn’t been promised a starring role or even a starting job. But considering how far he’s come from sitting in a tiny COD office with Steptoe and Knapp, Johnson appears as optimistic as ever.

“Obviously when I get there hopefully we can turn it around and be a great football program,” Johnson said. “But, to me, I can go play in the middle of a park somewhere in the middle of the night and as long as I’m playing football with a great group of guys, I’m fine with it.”