These 2 Downey football standouts and friends will be reunited on NCAA bowl game field
If you are watching college football on ABC at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, there is a chance you will hear two familiar names.
Downey High alum Isaiah Johnson (2018) and Anderson Grover (2019) will face off in the second annual Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium when Fresno State plays Washington State.
Though their careers crossed paths at Downey, their journeys to Saturday’s game could not have been more different.
Downey coaches knew Johnson would be a force at the high school level since he put on a varsity jersey as a sophomore.
“He had a really good combination of height and speed, which was what got him recruited.” Downey coach Jeremy Plaa said.
Grover’s journey took a more roundabout way to the Division I level with a stop at MJC. He continued to improve at every level and after one season as a Pirate, he was off to Pullman.
“I would just kind of call him a late bloomer, who by the time he left us as a senior was really just kind of starting to tap into his potential.” Plaa said.
Now, though, the two will be on opposite sidelines, they will be reunited on a football field for the first time since high school.
Plaa said he will be at the game.
“I feel lucky to have been able to be a part of their journey,” he said. “ I’m sitting in the end zone, so I’m not sitting on either side. I’m hoping I can say hello to them either before or after the game and just tell them how proud I am of them.”
Johnson was always a prospect
Plaa knew early on that Johnson would be special.
His combination of height and speed put him on the radar of multiple college coaches and he received offers from Arizona, UCLA, Cal and New Mexico.
He made an impact on both sides of the ball at Downey, starting his career on offense at wide receiver and then making the transition to mainly a defensive lineman by his senior year.
“It was pretty obvious when he got recruited that he was going to be recruited to play defense just because his size-speed ratio was so good,” Plaa said. “He played mostly offense for us, but he was definitely going to be a defensive kid at the college level.”
Johnson originally committed to UCLA, but after a coaching change, he decided to attend Fresno State, where he has made an impact since his true freshman year.
“I’m happy that it turned out this way because I’m closer to home and I’m undefeated against UCLA after playing them twice.” he said.
Johnson has totaled 51 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two passes defensed and one fumble recovery in 32 games as a Bulldog.
He already has his undergraduate degree and is working on a master’s. He earned Fall Academic All-Mountain West honors his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. Johnson has one year of eligibility remaining after suffering an injury late in his sophomore season.
“I’m back starting and I’m looking forward to my last season coming up. It’s been a bit of a ride, but I’m grateful to be where I’m at and I give all thanks to God.”
Grover’s grind
Unlike Johnson, Grover was not always a highly sought recruit.
The two-year varsity player will be the first to admit that he wasn’t the biggest or the fastest during his high school days.
“I was going out there, working hard, trying to learn as much as I could, watching the guys that were better than me and trying to mimic how they would do things,” he said.
A three-sport athlete, Grover also played basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring, so the opportunities to go to camps and work out exclusively on football were few and far between. When he did have time for a workout, to combat the lack of speed and size, he perfected his route running. He realized that running a crisp route would allow him to create separation on bigger, faster defenders.
Grover played in 2019, catching 20 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns and returning eight punts for 108 yards. He was unable to play during 2020 due to COVID-19 and spent the year working out.
“I had to get stronger, get a little more athletic and build my way into where I am now,” he said of his time at MJC.
After his freshman season and a summer of working out, Grover received an offer from Washington State. After redshirting last season, this is his first full season. He caught his first touchdown pass in a road game against Stanford with his family in the stands to see it.
“I think that was my second catch,” he recalled. “It felt good. It felt even better to do it in front of the family. It meant a lot to me that they were there and they were able to see that. That was the best thing for me.”
The season of firsts will continue as the game will be Grover’s first start. Whenever the Cougars line up with four receivers, he will be in the slot.
“I’m definitely excited,” he said, “because I know more opportunities will come. … It’s a big opportunity.”
Johnson and Grover will get the opportunity of a lifetime, playing in an NFL stadium. Grover said it will be “sweet.”
It is where pro receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have showcased their skills for the Chargers and where Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald chases down the game’s best quarterbacks. It gives Johnson and Grover even more motivation to work hard.
“It feels great knowing I’ll be playing at one of, if not the best stadium in the world,” Johnson said. “My team earned it this year after winning the Mountain West Conference. Hopefully, I can make it to play at the next level one day so that I can play there more than once.”
Because Grover plays offense and Johnson plays defense, they will be on the field together for the first time since high school. Though there may be some light trash talk, the two remain friends.
“Anderson is like family to me,” Johnson said. “I grew up with him and his older brother, Calvin. We’ve played on the same youth team in the past, so I’ll be looking forward to seeing him again.”
Grover agreed. “It’s definitely gonna be sweet seeing him. If I see him make a play, I might go crazy and do something I don’t want to do on my sideline. I’ve seen him play on TV but I don’t think I’ve gone to a game live and seen him play. It’s gonna be sweet with us making plays back and forth, then meeting up after the game.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2022 at 12:35 PM.
