CLIFF HARRIS AWARD FINALISTS PRESS RELEASE
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – Ouachita Baptist University football player
Josiah Johnson has been selected as a finalist for the 2024 Cliff Harris Award.
The award recognizes the best college football defensive player in the country at the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA levels. The award highlights exceptional talent and contributions to the game by athletes who have made a significant impact on their respective teams.
Cliff Harris was a two-time All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference honoree during his collegiate career at Ouachita Baptist University and was a part of the 1966 AIC championship team. He went on to earn two Super Bowl rings and six Pro-Bowl selections with Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys. "Captain Crash" as he came to be known was enshrined to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021 as a member of the 2020 induction class. He is also a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, and the Ouachita Athletics Hall of Fame. The football stadium at Ouachita was named in his honor in 2014.
The Cliff Harris Award was first presented in 2013 and was expanded to include winners of all three small college levels in 2023.
Johnson put together a Cliff Harris type of season for the Tigers in 2024, anchoring one of the best defensive units in the nation. The Tigers finished the year at 10-2 overall with a share of the Great American Conference championship and a berth into the NCAA Division II playoffs. Among Ouachita's defensive achievements this past year include a final No. 3 rank in the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 12 points per game.
Individually, Johnson played and started in all 12 games, finishing with 72 tackles, five tackles for loss, two interceptions, and six additional pass breakups. The senior from Little Rock was named the GAC Defensive Player of the Year and has since earned First Team All-Region honors from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and First Team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association. He is the first ever defensive player from Ouachita to earn first team All-America honors from the AFCA.
This is the second straight season Johnson has been selected as a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award. As a junior in 2023, Johnson earned All-America honors from the Associated Press.
After earning AFCA All-America honors last month, Ouachita head coach
Todd Knight called Johnson "one of the most physical defenders in the history of our program" and also noted his impact on the program as "one of the most well-respected players on the team, and his love for his teammates is evident in the way he leads."
Johnson is one of 14 finalists for the D2 Cliff Harris Award. The winner will be announced next Tuesday, January 7.
