On Monday night in front of a nation wide audience, one former BC Eagle made his former coaches, the fan base and his old teammates very proud.

Zion Johnson has been dominant in his rookie season with the LA Chargers and in Indianapolis on Monday Night Football against the Colts, Johnson helped pave the way (literally) to a win and more importantly, a playoff spot.

The Chargers will be one of seven teams in the AFC playoffs, which means Johnson is technically just three wins from playing in a Super Bowl in the same season he was drafted.Imagine that?

Johnson was part of arguably the best O-line group in BC history last season along with Alec Lindstrom, Ben Petrula and Tyler Vrabel, but was always destined to be the guy who had the biggest impact at the next level the quickest. Having as much attention as he did (and continues to have) both on the field and in the media is fantastic for the program from a recruiting standpoint. Being one of the most impactful players with an offense that has Justin Herbert, Mike Williams and Austin Ekler is no small feat. If you’re a prospect torn between schools, but know that “O-Line U’ guys are thriving immediately, it suddenly makes the decision pretty easy.

Johnson is tied for fourth in the league in sacks given up (five) and eighth in penalties (six) in 1,052 snaps he’s been on the field for this season, giving him a 62.5 PFF grade. Those are both ridiculous numbers given how flag-happy the NFL is when it comes to holding. The six sacks are also wild, given the fact that the rest of the AFC West loaded up on pass rush talent in the offseason. Playing the Raiders, Broncos and Chiefs two times this season is is not a fun day at work.

When your biggest responsibility is protecting one of the best young quarterbacks in the league that very well could eventually bring Los Angeles to a Super Bowl, you better live up to your first round draft pick status and Johnson has not only done that, but possibly exceeded expectations along this opening journey.