FOOTBALL TAB: The future belongs to Princeton's Johnny Frasier

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on August 22, 2014 1:48 PM

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The clicking of his cleats echoed down the silent hallway.

A shadow appeared in the door.

The hulking figure turned sideways to avoid hitting the door frame.

A slight smile creased Derrick Minor's face.

Princeton running back Johnny Frasier, in full gear, stepped into the coach's office and looked past the opened bathroom door toward the mirror.

"I look huge, coach," Frasier laughed.

"You run a 4.4 40 (dash) and you're 220 (pounds), so yeah, you are huge," Minor retorted.

"I wish (Coach James) Jenkins was here," Frasier laughed again.

"Naw man, Jenkins would be in the floor right now," Minor said.

Frasier studied his reflection while Minor inspected the new uniform which has an Oklahoma State look with three stripes on the pants. Minor jumped out of his chair to remove the "22" sticker off the back of Frasier's shiny blue helmet which has a Bulldog outlined in gold on one side and the player's jersey number on the other.

Seconds later, Frasier put on his helmet.

"You look like a monster, I'm telling you," Minor said.

Frasier laughed as he unwrapped a new football, then headed out the door for more photos.

"He looks like a lineman, unbelievable," Minor whispered as the clicking cleats faded and a door squeaked as it opened, then closed in the distance.

"That's a horse. I'm surprised I don't have goosebumps. That's awesome. That makes you feel really good when you see that walk through the door and you know you've got that in your backfield. I feel blessed, but I also want to be a blessing to him as well."

*

The blessing almost never came for Frasier.

Asthma and a heart murmur limited him from any type of physical exercise, much less sports. He worked out on a treadmill and did other simulated activities before doctors at Duke determined it was safe for him to play.

Frasier's mom, Sonya, encouraged him to get involved with football -- mainly to keep him from getting tangled in a weave of trouble. He played linebacker as a freshman, but found his calling the following year.

Not familiar with the dedication necessary to become an exemplary player, Frasier struggled at times at running back. He didn't consistently follow his blockers, often found the lanes clogged and couldn't shake off defenders once he found open field.

Then less than 200 pounds, Frasier compiled nearly 2,000 yards of total offense and helped lead Princeton an appearance in the eastern regional 1-A championship game. Fueled by a burning desire to get better and silence those who questioned his work ethic, he devoted himself to the weight room.

A breakout junior season followed.

Frasier rambled for 3,042 yards -- the seventh-best, single-season rushing total in state history, according to records kept by the N.C. High School Athletic Association. He accounted for more than 3,500 yards of total offense, 50 touchdowns and fumbled just once on 273 rushing attempts.

The Bulldogs recovered that lone bobble.

"It's everything ... physical, mental, spiritual," Minor said of Frasier's explosion. "He has physically developed beyond what I even thought he was going to be. When he was a sophomore, I thought 'OK, this kid is pretty good.' Then we got him into weight lifting and he's become solid.

"Mentally, he's developed. He's learning the game, learning how to hold the ball correctly, follows his blockers, is a patient runner. He has the vision and that's God given. The little things are making him even better."

Football has become Frasier's outlet.

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Frasier is one of those "once-in-a-lifetime" players.

And not long after the Bulldogs' season ended in the 2013 state playoffs, college coaches salivated and clamored to learn more about a humble kid who didn't follow sports growing up.

In fact, Frasier said there wasn't "much to Johnny" at all.

While his mother worked, he'd stay home to take care of his grandmother, Eloise, whom he calls his "heart." Sometimes he'd have to babysit his nephew, Jeremiah.

Frasier would pass the time drawing different concepts of his jersey. It's an apt hobby for someone who has aspirations of becoming a mechanical engineer.

Minor talked his star back into keeping a journal.

"Oh man, if someone finds my journal, they'll know all of my little thoughts," Frasier said. "I really wouldn't call it a journal. I'd call it a guide. It's telling myself things I can do in situations that I get in. If I could, I would give this to all of the people in my situation because I feel like it would help them.

"You write how you feel, what you can do to get better, how you can get over things. It's pretty thick now."

Mixed the among the pages of Frasier's inner-most thoughts are notes on the 21 Division I schools that have recruited him over the past 10-plus months. He's studied the positive and negative aspects of each program and paid particular attention to the graduation rates.

It's proven useful.

"The more you know, the better," Frasier said.

Indeed.

"I couldn't imagine being an 18-year-old and having the pressure of Division I coaches constantly beating down my door, having to take care of my grandmother and having to take care of the house while my mom is at work," Minor said.

"It's a lot for any young man to endure. I've seen him handle it as best as I can see any 18-year-old kid handle this situation."

*

Just about every program record set by former Princeton running back Mike Atkinson is within Frasier's reach this fall. Atkinson holds the marks for rushing yards in a career (6,221), touchdowns in a season (49), rushing TDs in a career (92), total TDs in a career (99) and points in a career (672).

Frasier holds the school records for single-season rushing yardage (3,042), points in a game (50), TDs in game (8) and rushing yards in a game (410).

Minor wants to see him break them all.

"I want to see Johnny play like he's never played before," Minor said. "I want to see him enjoy his senior year, not stress about the recruiting process, not stress about people coming to watch him ... enjoy it and be that visible leader on the field.

"Yes, he has the spotlight, but use that spotlight to help all of these kids around you get better."

A modest Frasier just wants to set a standard for future players in the program. He'd no doubt prefer to help Princeton play for a state title in December and thinks they have just as good a chance as any other 1-A team in North Carolina.

"People may think I'm crazy saying that," Frasier said. "I want to do it not only for me, but for every single one (on the team) and the coaches. They're all great and I love them."