After a breakout fall season, one of Duke’s few two-sport athletes will stick to only one sport in 2017.
And the scary part for opponents might be that it was only his first year at his new position.
After freshly-converted wide receiver Johnathan Lloyd’s standout 2016 season, he will no longer be playing baseball, a sport he starred in during high school. Although Lloyd saw playing time as a freshman on the baseball diamond, his steady rise up the depth chart last fall on the gridiron following two position changes led him to stick to one sport.
And has been the case since Lloyd arrived in Durham as a high school quarterback, the coming months will be a new experience for the redshirt sophomore.
“I’ve always played both [baseball and football] up until this point, so I don’t know what it’s like not to play one,” Lloyd said.
Although the former outfielder did not play very much last year for the baseball team, Lloyd had a supporting role on the team as a freshman. Lloyd started 10 games—seven in the outfield and three as a designated hitter—and hit .243 in 37 plate appearances. But as Lloyd changed positions once again on the football field, he devoted more time to his fall sport.
Despite starting the 2016 season listed as a reserve wide receiver, Lloyd soon became one of starting quarterback Daniel Jones’ favorite targets, finishing with 34 receptions for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Lloyd was second on the team in both yards and receptions, and tied for first with tight end Erich Schneider for touchdown grabs.
Lloyd initially caught head coach David Cutcliffe’s eye with his blocking skills, an often-undervalued part of a wide receiver’s skillset. Although he had limited practice time at the position, Lloyd believed it was an opportunity to get on the field, where he could then showcase his talent.
“He’s such a good natural athlete. When you combine that with the way that he works and his toughness, he was able to really improve and make everyone around him better,” wide receivers coach Jeff Faris said. “Day by day, he kept climbing and climbing [up our depth chart] and ended up being one of our best guys.”
Coming out of high school, other programs were well aware of Lloyd’s talent—but at a different position.
Although he was not recruited to play a specific position, Lloyd starred as a dual-threat quarterback at Southern Alamance, amassing more than 8,500 total yards with 88 touchdowns. The Graham, N.C., native was one of the Blue Devils’ most sought-after recruits, as he held offers from traditional football powerhouses such as Notre Dame, Ohio State, Clemson, Florida and South Carolina.
Even with his clear talent, Lloyd redshirted like most of his peers his first year, then transitioned to defensive back in the offseason, where he played sparingly before moving once again to slot receiver.
An increasingly important position as more teams try to spread out opposing defenses and get the ball to playmakers in space, slot receivers have to possess a unique blend of quickness, toughness and a thorough understanding of the team’s offense.
Yet Lloyd managed to succeed quickly, drawing on his time playing all over the field to adapt once again.
“You go back to receiver, and I played quarterback, so I’m thinking, ‘Now the defensive back is going to do this.’ Then I go to defensive back and I’m [thinking], ‘The quarterback is going to do this and that,’” Lloyd said. “Now, I’m at receiver knowing what I would do at defensive back to try to stop myself.”
With more time on the field, it was clear that Lloyd was growing into his role in the offense during the course of the season, which was highlighted by a key 20-yard touchdown grab at then-No. 7 Louisville that showed Jones’ trust in the first-year wide receiver.
Now with several more months to focus on learning the finer points of the position, Lloyd knows he still has a long way to go to become even more reliable for a team reeling from a 4-8 season.
“[I plan to work on] route running, creating separation, just little things like that,” Lloyd said. “I just want to be a leader and help this team. I’m getting older—I’m going to be a redshirt junior next season—so [I am] just trying to help these guys.”
Early in the offseason—the Blue Devils started spring practice Feb. 4—Faris has been impressed by the strides Lloyd has taken to accomplish his goals. He is part of a deep wide receiving corps featuring sophomore T.J. Rahming, redshirt junior Quay Chambers, redshirt sophomore Chris Taylor, redshirt freshman Aaron Young and a number of other underclassmen hoping to separate to lock down a starting spot opposite Rahming.
So far this spring, Lloyd’s experience is setting him apart.
“He has been phenomenal for our room [and] holding guys accountable,” Faris said. “He’s really our leader.”
There should be more opportunities available for Lloyd in the passing game next year, even with Rahming entrenched as the Blue Devils’ top receiver. Offensive coordinator Zac Roper even decided to open up the playbook for Lloyd later in the season, when he took an end-around, run-pass option against North Carolina in the red zone. On the play, Lloyd escaped a major loss of yardage with a pump-fake that fooled the entire Tar Heel defense.
But Lloyd is more than happy just to remain at slot receiver, as long as he is on the football field with his baseball career now in the rearview mirror.
“I’ll play any role they need me to, but I feel like I’m more than just a blocker, and I know I have the skill and the ability to get open and make plays when I touch the ball,” Lloyd said. “I want to be that guy, so it doesn’t matter whether I’m on the slot or the outside.”
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