Dustin Lopez knows that differences in college football recruiting over the past two decades have benefited more players than before.
Hopkinsville High School senior Kavon Johnson is one of those players, as he signed to continue his football career at Lindsey Wilson University on Wednesday.
Johnson played on both sides of the ball and was an integral part of the Tigers’ offensive line, which led the way for 162 rushing yards per game — a 17% increase over 2024.
He also recorded 34 tackles on defense, with seven of those for loss.
Lopez, his coach at Hoptown, feels the fit is a good one for Johnson.
“Recruiting now is so different than it was five, ten, twenty years ago, because you’ve got 25-26 year old guys staying in college and playing college ball. You have the transfer portal where people don’t want to develop kids as much anymore, and it’s hard to get recruited to high levels straight out of the field,” he said. “It’s good that we still have a chance now for the smaller schools to get some of these young men that they usually wouldn’t have a chance.”
Johnson shared the signing day stage with teammate James Bradley Jr., who will attend Georgetown College.
“The thing I can say about him and James is they never miss practice, never. They showed up every day, they put the work in, and it’s a testament to them because they earned it,” Lopez said, citing them for helping turn around a Hopkinsville program that went from 1-9 to 7-5 in three seasons.
“Kavon showed up every day and was a leader. He got his tail whipped early, and he ended up being one of our best players overall, and he gave himself a chance to really be successful.”
Lopez feels Johnson’s leadership skills will pay off for him in college, both on the field and off.
“He is a great leader, strong, tough. I think a lot of things are trending up for Kavon in terms of what he looks like in the future. He’s somebody that you’re definitely not afraid to put your name on to vouch for him because he’ll be successful with or without football. But football is a tool to help get him where he needs to go.”
Lindsey Wilson, an NAIA school located in Columbia, was 10-2 last season with one playoff win and a season-ending loss to top-ranked and national champion Grand View University.
