Landon Johnson is a standout defenseman on the ADVNC NDP ‘22 squad who has signed his letter of intent to realize his dream of playing DI lacrosse at Drexel University.
Landon grew up in the Seattle area loving sports. He played football with his older brother Logan from a young age and loved the physicality of the game. Soon, the Johnson brothers’ mom, Darcy, got them lacrosse sticks.
“My brother was in the 3rd grade, and I was in the 1st grade when our mom got us starter sticks,” said Landon. “Being able to play another sport besides football that had physicality was awesome.”
Landon loves playing defense for the Seattle Starz.
Landon played for his local rec lacrosse team throughout his youth. Darcy and their dad, Jarrett, made him wait till the 8th grade to tryout for the Seattle Starz. “That was the first time I played lacrosse without a parent coaching me,” said Landon. “The level of play and the speed of the game was so much faster with the Starz than what I was used to. My brother had been playing with the long pole on defense for a bit and I started doing the same thing. I just picked it up quick and love playing D-Pole.”
“Playing for Seattle Starz opened my eyes to being able to maybe go to college and play lacrosse,” said Landon. “I realized how much I loved the sport and decided that’s really what I wanted to do.”
Landon had mentors he looked up to that stoked his passion for the game and inspired him to work hard to realize his dreams. “I started High School at O’Dea playing alongside my brother. I was coached by Drew Snider and Eli Gobrecht. I looked up to Eli a lot. Watching him, how he communicates, how hard he goes all the time. He inspired me.”
Snider and Gobrecht are both current PLL players, and led the Johnson brothers and their O’Dea team to a state championship when Landon was a freshman. “Playing next to my brother on that title team was one of the best moments of my life,” said Landon.
Landon (left) & Logan Johnson, after winning the WA state title for O’Dea HS.
“Watching the boys win the state title was a parents' dream game,” said Landon’s dad, Jarrett Johnson. “It was a culmination of years spent going one on one against each other in the backyard. Seeing them share a single goal brought them closer and it was exciting to watch them work hard at something together.
When Logan Johnson went away to college at Colorado University in Boulder, Landon transferred to Bellevue High School to play the end of his High School career with his closest friends.
Around that same time, Darcy Johnson got a phone call she still remembers. “I got a call from Greg Weigel (then, the ADVNC Director of Training.) He said they were putting together an ADVNC NDP team and wanted Landon to be on the team. It was so crazy and such an honor. I thought, oh my goodness, Landon is gonna play with the best players on the West Coast.”
“I was used to playing just with Seattle guys,” said Landon. “So I didn’t know what to expect from the ADVNC NDP team. I went to the Tahoe Training Camp and I was so nervous. But it was a great environment. I knew right away all these guys would be really good friends and we would have a really great program. I met some of my best friends at the Training Camp.”
“Playing on ADVNC NDP, you’re playing with some of the best kids on the West Coast but also against all these teams you’ve never had the opportunity to play against,” said Landon. “ADVNC brought me the opportunity to play against the best players in the country. It made me realize I wasn’t as good as I thought I was. It made us Seattle guys realize we needed to work harder to get on that level.”
“ADVNC put the boys in the best tournaments on the east coast which allowed Landon to be seen by college coaches who would have not seen him,” said Jarrett Johnson. “ADVNC was willing to play anybody to build their program, and we appreciate how this ultimately made the kids better players. Playing for Coach Rotelli gave Landon’s NDP team credibility at the next level. Being coached and mentored by Rotelli and his staff was huge to Landon’s development, but on top of that, these coaches become mentors who have played and succeeded in college and beyond.”
Soon, Landon was right in the midst of the college recruiting process. He knew he wanted to play DI, but didn’t know where. “I got a text from Tucker Durkin. He’s my hero. So when he texted me and told me he was gonna be watching me and wanted to talk to me, that was the craziest.”
Landon alongside his parents, Jarrett & Darcy on signing day.
Durkin is one of the fiercest defensive players ever, and also an assistant coach at Drexel.
“After talking with Durkin a few times, I knew I wanted to play at Drexel,” said Landon. After talking with Drexel Head Coach Brian Voelker and touring campus, Landon committed to Drexel. “Being in downtown Philly sounded awesome,” Landon said. “They have a 5th year internship program that I think is a really great idea. This way I’ll come out of college with a full resume. I’m so excited to get out there in Philly and get to work.”
“Chris Rotelli and ADVNC were so helpful in the recruiting process,” said Darcy Johnson. “Just allowing Landon to say he played for ADVNC and for Coach Rotelli.. That was huge for coaches who were interested in Landon.”
“When I talked to college coaches, they would say, oh .. you played for Coach Rotelli,” said Landon. “That’s one of the first things they would say. So just to have that name that connected me to them was huge in helping get my name out to the college coaches.”
With just one more high school lacrosse season on the schedule before heading to Philadelphia for college, Landon looks back on his career so far and has advice for young players who dream of one day playing at the DI level. “You need to be really gritty and push yourself.” Landon said. “You also need to be coachable. Look your coach in the eye. Do all the little things. It makes a huge difference.”