Former UCF student-athlete Jordan Johnson has been named the Male PlayMaker of the Month for February by the Institute for Sport & Social Justice on the UCF campus.
Johnson, who graduated in December with a degree in human communication, is the first Knight to earn the distinction. The award, which recognizes academic achievement and community service, has been given to student-athletes around the country since 2014.
While he was a member of the UCF football team, Johnson established himself as a leader and role model within the Central Florida community. He prides himself on being a servant leader, especially with young people. Johnson regularly visits local Orlando and Seminole County elementary schools, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida and the Ronald McDonald house.
Johnson, along with his teammates, served as leaders for a Christmas toy drive that collected more than 500 toys and raised more than $3,000 for local teenagers. Johnson also volunteered during the holiday season at the Knight of Giving event where he assisted 17 local homeless elementary students in shopping for toys and necessities.
Johnson’s other leadership and community outreach activities include Relay For Life to raise money for cancer research, #HashtagLunchbag to feed the homeless in downtown Orlando, serving as a “buddy” (mentor) for children and adults with special needs at the Central Florida Dreamplex Football Clinic for disabled athletes and volunteering for Habitat For Humanity.
Johnson led the charge for all UCF student-athletes to complete a combined 5,000 community service hours in this 2019-20 academic year. In the process he has become a UCF role model for many children in the Central Florida community and a true leader for UCF athletics.
Prior to graduating with a 3.38 grade-point average, the Jacksonville, Florida, native was a two-time first-team All-American Athletic Conference honoree and also was UCF’s nominee for the William B. Campbell Award, the National Football Foundation’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy which goes to the top football scholar-athlete in the country.
Nominees for the award must be current/eligible student-athletes in good standing at their respective institution, carry a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA and actively participate in community service, social change advocacy or volunteer services. The female PlayMaker of the Month for February was DePaul senior basketball player Kelly Campbell.
