Judging from his demeanor, it's difficult to believe Brett Johnson ever had doubts about his abilities. Not once during a 25-minute interview does he stutter or break stride as he speaks about the journey that has brought him to Berkeley.

He looks poised and self-assured on this day, yet it was only four years ago when Johnson was extremely unsure about himself. The self-doubt reached a point where Johnson thought he was going to give up football for good.

Tabbed the No. 2 overall player out of Nevada his freshman year, the high school standout was certain he would find some sort of role on the Bears' roster. Unfortunately for him, the coaches felt differently and Johnson ended up redshirting that season.

Feeling lost, he sought the only opinion he cared about.

"I talked to my mom and she helped me realize I had this wonderful opportunity and that I shouldn't waste it," Johnson says. "Getting that little nudge from her was all I needed."

So he stuck with it, and after playing two seasons with special teams, he got his first opportunity to play the safety position in his junior year. He soon earned a starting role on a defensive unit that became one of the best in the nation. In the ensuing games, he would record his first interception and score his first defensive touchdown. It had taken three years to prove to himself that he had made the right decision, but the fire was now fully lit inside of Johnson.

"Right then, I felt like I got a taste of everything and I realized I needed this," he says. "From then on, I just started working even harder to keep growing and become the best safety I can be."

Making big plays on the field his junior year validated his decision to stay with the team, but playing football has now become something of greater importance for Johnson. To begin, it's a way of releasing his pent-up frustration that naturally develops from the rigors of being a student-athlete. A self-deemed "introvert," Johnson hardly shows his anger and aggression off the field. On Saturdays though, it's another story.

"He's a big-time hitter," fellow safety Marcus Ezeff says. "Sometimes I look at him before we go out there on the field, and he looks ready to kill a fool."

The desire to hit people was the catalyst for Johnson's initial decision to play safety, and while the hard hits generate plenty of fear in the opposing players, Johnson would rather his opponents see him as the defender who never rests.

"I want them to say, 'I see 25 everywhere giving all he's got,'" Johnson says. "If nothing else, that's what I want to be known for: the guy who gave 110 percent every play."

That type of approach to the game has led to Johnson's ascent into a leadership role this season. Despite being known as one of the more quiet guys on the team, Johnson can often be heard calling out the defensive plays and communicating with all his teammates on the field.

Once again, though, his play on the field has an impact that stretches far beyond it.

"One of my knocks when I first got here was that I wouldn't speak up and give the call that I need," Johnson says. "That was something I had to work on to get to where I am today. I realize I can't be the quiet guy in the background and that I have to speak up when the time calls for it."

To understand why Johnson always keeps things in such a broad context requires an examination of his relationship with his mother. His father left when he was five, leaving Johnson with his mother as the only parental figure in his life. The things she has done for him can never be reciprocated, according to Johnson, but that doesn't mean he hasn't tried to.

Johnson chose Cal partly because the academics "were second to none" and takes much pride in his ability to balance schoolwork with football.

To him, going to school and playing football are essentially one and the same. In each arena, he is giving something back to the woman who's done everything for him and his older sister.

When speaking about the possibility of playing in the NFL, Johnson sees no reason not to go for it, because if he does, it just means he will be able to give back even more.

"The chance to take it to the next level would be great because it would be more than just making her proud," Johnson says. "I'll be able to do other things to make her life easier."

At the same time, not getting drafted wouldn't be crushing. For Johnson, the future is not a narrow road, and success can manifest itself in more than just the football world.

"If these opportunities take me to the NFL it'd be a dream come true, but if not, I have a Berkeley degree so I won't be too disappointed," he says.

Until he takes the next step, Johnson is taking this season as a final chance to prove his worth. Proving to himself that the past is far behind him. Proving to the scouts that he can live up to the potential that his coaches have always seen in him. Above all, it's about proving to his greatest admirer that everything he does is for her.

"Whether it's in the classroom or on the field, I just want to make her proud, and she tells me all the time," Johnson says.

He looks out at the empty field and breaks a smile when he points out that his mother will be making the trip for the USC game. Little does she know she's with him every single game.

"Everyday I step out there onto the field," he says, "I just get a little boost knowing I'm making my mom proud."

Tags: BRETT JOHNSON, CAL FOOTBALL TEAM