Franklin Senior High has been churning out talented football prospects under the direction of head coach Tremayne Johnson.  

Gharin Stansbury (Arizona State) and Zylan Perry (UL) are former Hornets who are currently on NCAA rosters. 

Now, it’s Jay’Shaun Johnson’s time to shine.

Johnson, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound junior safety, has received scholarship offers from Mississippi State and Incarnate Word with several more expected to follow in the upcoming months.

Memphis, Nebraska and Oklahoma are among the programs that are evaluating Johnson, who is ranked as the No. 31 prospect in Louisiana by the recruiting service on3.

Although Tulane hasn’t offered yet, the Green Wave are expected to be a factor due to Johnson’s close relationship with assistant director of personnel Jamar Mitchell.

“I like them a lot,” said Johnson, who was impressed with the Green Wave’s 46-45 Cotton Bowl win over USC.  “I went to one of their games.  I loved the environment.  It was loud.”

While on the staff at Mississippi State, Mitchell offered Johnson on behalf of the Bulldogs.  It was Johnson’s first offer.

“Coach Mitchell and I connected as soon as we started talking,” Johnson said.  “He’s a great guy.”

Mississippi State didn’t stop recruiting Johnson when Mitchell departed.  Coach Jason Washington is now in charge of pursuing Johnson, who is looking forward to visiting the Starkville campus for the first time.  Director of player personnel Omar Hales is recruiting Johnson for Nebraska.

“Jay’Shaun is one of those guys who you’re blessed to have,” coach Tremayne Johnson said.  “He was ready to play as a freshman when we threw him into the fire.”

If the Hornets have a turnover chain, they might as well stow it in Johnson’s locker.  Over the past two years, he has intercepted 16 passes and returned 13 for touchdowns.

“Once the ball touches his hand, there’s a good chance he’s going to take it to the house,” Coach Johnson said.  

Johnson, who was timed at 4.50 in the 40-yard dash last year at Ole Miss camp, credited his teammates’ blocking for the abundance of pick-sixes.

He’s proficient in run support, coming up from his free safety position to rank third on the team in tackles.

“He’s going to stick his nose in there,” Coach Johnson said.  “He had an exceptional season where he led the parish in tackles.  He makes the guys around him better.  He has that ‘it’ factor.”

As a sophomore, Johnson placed second in the long jump and the 100-meter dash at the district track meet.  He’s scoring 16 points per game for the FSH basketball team, which is 9-3 and No. 1 in the LHSAA non-select Division IV power ratings.

Johnson, who maintains a 3.5 GPA, has two close relatives that are currently playing college football in running back CJ Johnson (Auburn) and safety LJ Johnson (SMU).