Liam Johnson, former St. Joseph’s Prep standout, set to join California from Princeton

Liam Johnson, once a St. Joseph’s Prep football standout and two-time team captain, is leaving Princeton after four seasons to join California, he announced on social media.

Johnson will join the Golden Bears as a graduate transfer, as he’s set to earn his degree from Princeton in May. Over the last two seasons, Johnson has started every game at linebacker for the Tigers, compiling 173 tackles (10 for loss), two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and seven pass breakups.

His 2022 season in particular earned him several honors, including co-winning the Bushnell Cup as Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. Johnson is also a two-time, first-team All-Ivy selection.

“I chose Princeton because of similar reasons that I chose Cal, obviously it’s a great football program, great team environment, great coaches,” Johnson told The Inquirer by phone Friday. “Combine that with their great academics, a great support system from both the academics and alumni base, too.”

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A Moorestown native, Johnson won three state championships at St. Joe’s Prep, following in the footsteps of his brothers Thomas and James in playing football for Princeton. This area is all Johnson has known, so moving west will be a big but needed change for him, he said.

“At the Prep, it was a 30-minute drive every day from South Jersey, and then at Princeton, I stayed at home over the summer while I was training at school, and that was only 35 minutes,” Johnson said. “So I really haven’t left this area. ... I think going across the country was something that I needed to do for myself because you got to meet new people, you got to learn a new system, outside of [comfort zone]. And that gave me the opportunity to push myself beyond what I’m actually comfortable with.”

Having moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference starting next season, Cal will play some of its games in the East. That includes a game at Pittsburgh, giving Johnson a chance to play closer to his home.

In conversations with his new Cal coaches, Johnson said they are looking for his leadership. As opposed to his junior season at Princeton, where he focused on winning a starting linebacker spot and transforming his body, his senior season was more about helping the younger players.

“I think my senior year was focused on helping develop the next set of linebackers because I wanted to leave a legacy and help lead the next generation of guys,” Johnson said. “What I can bring as a leader and as a person, I think those are some of the things that I value and I think those [things] are even better for me than as a football player.”

Johnson joins his teammate and fellow linebacker, Ozzie Nicholas, who also earned first-team All-Ivy honors, in the ACC. Nicholas joined Duke earlier this offseason. The Ivy League to FBS pipeline continues to grow, as Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Joey Slackman of Penn joined Florida in December, while Thor Griffith, formerly of Harvard, joined Louisville in the transfer portal.

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Just like in his journey at Princeton, from navigating the pandemic to becoming one of the league’s best linebackers, Johnson is relishing the challenge of moving up a level of football.

“The Ivy League has pushed me to become a better player and person, but I’m excited at the prospect of playing in the ACC with its own sets of challenges,” Johnson said. “So I think it’s going to be a physical and a mental challenge for me, which I welcome with open arms.”