BOCA RATON – Midway through Tuesday’s FAU football practice quarterback De’Andre Johnson received a little inspiration from a familiar face.
As he crossed from one field to the other he spotted Brittany Wagner, his former academic adviser at East Mississippi Community College who’s been made famous by the Nexflix docu-series Last Chance U.
“Seeing her gave me a little more boost of energy out there on the field,” Johnson said. “I had to show her that, you know, I got better.”
Known as Miss Brittany on the show, Wagner was in South Florida to speak at an event in Stuart and elected to make the less than one hour drive south the Boca Raton.
Johnson and defensive end Tim Bonner signed with FAU out of East Mississippi and play prominent roles on the most recently released season of Last Chance U, which tracks the progression of the Lions football team on and off the field.
The show also features then-quarterback coach Clint Trickett, now FAU’s tight end coach, and C. J. Johnson, now a graduate assistant coach at FAU.
“I’m really impressed what she did for the kids,” FAU coach Lane Kiffin said.
Wagner is pleased Bonner and Johnson found their way to Boca Raton. She believes Kiffin runs the kind of program that will benefit both players.
“I think that he’s kind of an understanding coach,” Wagner said. “He obviously came from [coaching under Alabama coach Nick Saban] and a disciplined program, but I think he’s a little bit more understanding about who his guys are and where they’ve come from.”
Wagner also liked the fact that her former players elected to stay together.
“I knew Tim needed to go to a very specific program with a specific type of coach and I think that coach Kiffin is that guy for Tim especially,” Wagner said. “And then for De’Andre to be here with him and then Clint and C.J., it’s kind of like an East Mississippi thing here. I think that’s good for all of them to have each other.”
Now living in Birmingham, Ala., Wagner isn’t sure she’ll be able to make the trek to see her former players take the field during the regular season.
If she does, though, she’ll feel welcome.
“Miss Brittany came down here to see us, support us, as she does on and off the field,” Johnson said. “I’m happy to see her. Surprised. Excited.”
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