Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson is the 2022 recipient of the Edward Aschoff Rising Star Award.
Johnson, 29, has been a national college football writer with SI since the fall of 2021.
“It’s always an honor to receive an award from your peers!” Johnson said in a statement. “This is the one field I’ve always wanted to work in, and it’s incredibly valuable to be recognized.
“I count all of my experiences in this field as continuing education and there are too many editors and writers to name who have made me better and helped me along the way. I grew up reading many of them as a lifelong college football fan and it has been amazing.” get to know them as I grow in journalism.
This is the third year that the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) has presented the award in honor of Aschoff, following David Ubben (2020) and Grace Raynor (2021).
Ubben and Raynor are both with The Athletic.
Aschoff covered college football for ESPN and died on Christmas Eve 2019, his 34th birthday, from stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that had developed in his lungs.
Like Aschoff, Johnson graduated from the University of Florida.
After graduating in 2015, Johnson joined ESPN before moving on to SB Nation and eventually Sports Illustrated.
“I remember when the FWAA announced this award a couple of years ago,” Johnson said. “I knew immediately that I wanted to win it, and I think it’s time to put my jealousy of the previous winners, David and Grace behind me, just kidding, as they are both excellent reporters whom I had the pleasure of meeting along the way.” the last years.
“Ed is a prime example of how representation matters. Unfortunately, there are very few black people who cover this sport, and for as long as I’ve known him, seeing Ed on TV or his signature on the website is proof positive that he I made it in this industry and I could too.
“You could say I basically followed his plan from UF journalism school to cover the Gators all the way to ESPN, and it was an honor to recognize him during my first season on the SEC Network.”
