After the completion of Iowa State's final spring practice, defensive back Anthony Johnson met with the media at Gilbert High School to discuss his transition to a new position. Here's all he shared.

On how the idea of him playing safety came about following the 2021 season:

“It really started with Coach Campbell and then an agent reached out to a couple of teams. I heard from both ends that I would probably end up playing safety. I had a Covid year, so why not experiment with safety or make the transition now instead of trying to go into an NFL camp, not being able to pick it up and lose that opportunity fast. It was the best decision for me and this team.”

On how much playing experience before college he had at safety:

“You wouldn’t be able to tell that this is my first time playing safety. It’s my natural position. My Godfather told me in my senior year when I was playing safety that I’d end up playing safety at Iowa State. He said it’d be two years and I’d be playing safety. Sure enough, it came to fruition.”

On the biggest changes moving from corner to safety:

“The biggest difference is obviously the space. I have to tempo a little bit and have to be a little more patient. Everything is not right there like it is at corner. I get to see the whole formation and everything now. I’m playing top-down and feel like I can make more plays. I kind of already knew what everybody does on the defense, so just moving was easy from that aspect.”

On what his new primary responsibilities are at the position:

“I’m playing field safety, so I’m playing over a lot of slots. They’re usually speed guys and I’ve covered a lot of speed guys. I’ve covered some of the best receivers already, so I find it fun. All I have now is extra space, so I can be more patient and be able to break when they break.”

On what he saw of the cornerback position over the spring:

“TJ (Tampa) has done a phenomenal job. Those corners are nice. TJ, Tay-Kay (Tayvonn Kyle), Darien (Porter) and Myles Purchase look nice. What I’ve seen from that room has been incredible.”

On if he’s filled the leadership void on the team after so many seniors left:

“My role has increased a bit. I am now kind of like in the main spotlight as a leader. I’ve always led people, helped them get better and push them to their greatest potential. Now the spotlight is on me a little bit. I feel like I’ve been put on this earth to help others. That’s my passion. It’s kind of natural for me.”

On when he started to settle into the new position:

“The first day of practice at safety was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life, including games. I didn’t know what to expect. It’s a different feeling when you’re watching film and know what you’re supposed to do, then you get out there and it’s physical. I wondered how it was going to go. But I got a (pass breakup) so that got the jitters out. It was on from there.”

On the mentality of this year’s team throughout the 15 spring workouts:

“Everyone has a chip on their shoulder. You can feel the chip that everybody has on their shoulder. Everybody wants to be the guy. Everybody wants to start. Everybody wants to be in the Jack making plays. When you got that consistently, the sky’s the limit.”