Valparaiso University football redshirt senior Sam Johnson (Birmingham, Ala. / Oak Mountain [Jackson State / Alabama]) earned his highest honor yet as he was named to the 2024 Stats Perform All-America Second Team on Wednesday.
 
Johnson was the lone Pioneer Football League player to earn First or Second Team honors and joined Drake's Finn Claypool and Dayton's Gideon Lampron – both on the third team – as PFL players who achieved All-American status. Johnson became the program's first All-American since Rob Giancola in 2003 and joined Giancola and Eric Kenesie (1998, 1999) as the only Valpo All-Americans since 1985.
 
This marked the latest on a list of postseason honors for Johnson, who was tabbed the Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Year, a member of the All-PFL First Team and an FCS National Punter of the Year Semifinalist.
 
Johnson finished with a season punting average of 47.13, shattering the previous program and PFL record of 43.68 that had stood for 14 years since it was established by Greg Wood in 2010. Johnson had 24 punts of 50 yards or more and pinned the opposition inside the 20 on 19 occasions. He ranked third nationally in FCS in punting average and second among those with at least 50 attempts. Elon's Jeff Yurk averaged 47.9 yards per punt on 60 attempts, while The Citadel's James Platte averaged 47.3 yards per punt on 44 attempts. Johnson was named the PFL Special Teams Player of the Week four times this year – Sept. 15, Oct. 20, Oct. 27 and Nov. 24.
 
Click here for full Stats Perform All-America Team.