FORT WORTH – Quentin Johnston is about action, not words. That made the recruiting journey from Temple High School to TCU a difficult road to navigate for the four-star receiver. Being recruited takes a lot of social energy. Coaches call and text. Recruits go on visits. Reporters are always in your direct messages on social media hoping to get a quote or information. Johnston wasn’t a fan. He’d look at his phone back in those days and see 200 missed calls or texts. 

“The attention was new to me, and I was never someone who enjoyed extra attention, so it took some getting used to,” Johnston said.  It was never anything personal, I just didn’t know what to say or how to act. I didn’t want to mess anything up.” 

Now a 6-4, 215-pound junior at TCU, Johnston is growing comfortable in the limelight. Or at least more comfortable. He’d still rather work on his V6 Charger than talk about himself or his accomplishments. Ask Johnston about his exploits and he’ll talk about his teammates. Ask him about his numbers and he’ll discuss the new offense or the improved play of quarterback Max Duggan. Contrary to the wide receiver stereotype, Johnston isn’t a look-at-me player. Even as he wears the No. 1 jersey for the Horned Frogs. 

The spotlight is only growing for Johnston. He’s always been on the radar of NFL scouts, but his production is starting to match his potential in a way it didn’t in his first two years at TCU. Johnston arrived in 2020 and immediately made an impact. He caught 22 passes in the pandemic-shortened year, but it was his 22.1 yards per catch that stood out. Johnston caught 33 passes for 634 yards and six scores a year ago. Through six games of the 2022 season, Johnston already sits at 34 receptions. He still guards himself against praise, even if defenders can’t guard him in coverage. 

“One minute people are talking about you like the next great thing, but that can go away as quickly as it arrives,” Johnston said. “. I try not to get caught up in it. If we keep winning and I stay focused, everything will work out how it is supposed to work out.” 

Johnston, who originally committed to Texas, flipped to TCU because the smaller school fit his personality. He said one of his favorite parts of his visit to Fort Worth was that the campus tour didn’t take as long as the other schools he visited. Another positive was position coach Malcolm Kelly, who was an all-conference receiver at Oklahoma who spent some time in the NFL. Johnston says that Kelly still freestyles on occasion before film sessions. Working for a coach who played his position at a high level was intriguing for Johnston because he went through a similar process at Temple. 

“In high school, my first wide receiver coach wasn’t a wide receiver growing up, but then Kwame Cavil came, and I noticed how much I improved with him coaching me,” Johnston remembered. “I thought coach Kelly would be the same.” 

The first two years at TCU were tough. The 2020 year was marred by the pandemic. Johnston remembers arriving on campus and noticing how empty it was since the football team was about the only group of people not studying remotely. His senior prom and school trip were also cancelled due to the pandemic. The 2021 year wasn’t much better. Sure, there were more people on campus, but the lack of success on the field led to half-empty stadiums and the eventual loss of head coach Gary Patterson. 

Most players probably explore the transfer portal in Johnston’s situation. A coaching change was about to take place and the line of his suitors would’ve resembled the current line at Panther City BBQ in Fort Worth. Johnston was already an All-Big 12 performer despite not playing in an explosive passing offense. The idea of redoing the recruiting journey was not appealing to Johnston. 

“I felt like it’d be too easy to go jump on another team,” he said. “I wanted to take my time and figure out who was coming in and who was staying. Coach Kelly was going to stay, and that helped. I fell in love with TCU, it wasn’t just about football.” 

TCU tight end Jared Wiley was Johnston’s quarterback at Temple High School. Wiley, who signed with Texas in the 2019 class, was a year ahead of Johnston. His first memory of his current teammate was Johnston pulling off a windmill dunk as a freshman in high school. Johnston said his first dunked in middle school. 

“I’d say probably 40 percent of my completions went to him,” Wiley said with a laugh. “He made me look really good on Fridays.” 

Johnston is starting to find that type of dominant success at the college level thanks to a new coaching staff. Sonny Dykes is the first offensive-minded head coach Johnston has played for in his entire life. His new reality set in early during camp. 

“The first week and a half, I was more tired than I usually was because we were running more routes,” Johnston joked. “At the end of the day, it is a blessing for me and my teammates.” 

The season began slowly for Johnston, who was dealing with constant double-teams and a nagging injury. His health returned to 100 percent by the time opposing defenses realized it better also concentrate on guarding targets such as Derius Davis, Taye Barger, and Savion Williams. Johnston caught 12 passes for 114 yards and zero touchdowns in the first four games of the season combined. He’s recorded 22 receptions for 386 yards and two touchdowns in the past two games – wins over Kansas and Oklahoma State. 

But, if you’re waiting for Johnston to entertain his own hype, don’t hold your breath. You’d be better off trying to out-jump him for a football. 

“I’ve seen people get too caught up in the hype and start to go downhill, so I try to keep a level head and not focus too much on the noise around me,” he said. “I try not to get too caught up with it.”

Team success is different. Johnston doesn’t mind getting caught up in that excitement. Take the double-overtime win over Oklahoma State. Johnston caught eight passes for 180 yards and a touchdown in the comeback win. He stood on the field and celebrated as fans rushed Amon G. Carter after the win. Even when he got home later that night, Johnston wasn’t ready to turn the page. 

“I just wanted to stay up that night and keep watching the game over and over because it was such an exciting moment that you want to live in for as long as possible,” he said. “I watched the full game when I got home. Then the next day, I watched it again two or three times.” 

The Horned Frogs (6-0) face another test on Saturday when they host Kansas State, the only other team without a blemish in Big 12 play. Johnston, who hit a high speed of 21.39 miles per hour in the win over Kansas, according to the team’s GPS data, knows his team needs a faster start against the Wildcats than what TCU managed against Oklahoma State. Even if that means his numbers suffer. 

“I care more about the scoreboard than the box score,” Johnston said. “Winning is my only goal.”