Happy Place

By Jim Sumner, GoDuke the Magazine

David Cutcliffe says he would vote for Johnathan Lloyd for president of the United States in 2020 “if he chooses to run.”

You have to be 35 years old to run for that office, so that's not going to happen.

But Cutcliffe's comments show the respect Lloyd has generated in the Duke football program, not just for his on-field production but also for his work in the classroom and off the field.

Lloyd grew up in Graham, N.C., two counties west of Duke. He was a star quarterback, outfielder and point guard for Southern Alamance High School. Cutcliffe and Duke baseball coach Chris Pollard both wanted Lloyd for their programs.

Duke decided he could play both. It was a key factor in his decision to become a Blue Devil.

“The best fit — for the people, the school, playing football, playing baseball,” Lloyd says. “It was really about being in the best situation. Distance didn't matter.”

Lloyd was a quarterback in high school, good enough to pass for over 3,000 yards as a senior, and he expected to play that position at Duke. He got an opportunity but Duke didn't think he had the arm strength for the ACC.

“Things change,” he says. “I got a shot. I'm in a good place now.”

Lloyd redshirted as a freshman and moved to cornerback as a redshirt freshman.

He was also playing baseball for the Blue Devils, batting .243 as a freshman in 2015, playing high-level baseball against players who played 12 months a year.

His baseball career ended early in his sophomore season. “It was kind of an understanding that it was best to focus solely on football. Walking away from baseball was tough. I loved the game. I'd played it all my life. Anything that you love, that you've given a lot of time to, it's hard to give it up.”

Lloyd also gave up defense on the football field, becoming a wide receiver for the 2016 season. He was in his third year at Duke — redshirt sophomore — and had never played wide receiver in his life.

How did he make it work? Fellow wide receiver T.J. Rahming has some thoughts.

“It just shows that you get out what you put in. He came in as a quarterback, then they moved him to corner, then to receiver. Everything he needed to work on, he went out and did the work.”

Doing the work is a theme in any discussion of Lloyd's career.

“He is as hard-working, as focused, as you'll ever find on a football field,” Cutcliffe says. “You'll never find a player who's more of a coach on a football field. He shares his wisdom, his energy with his teammates.”

His teammates recognized that when they voted him one of four co-captains for this season.

“It's an honor, the respect the guys have for me,” Lloyd says. “It means a lot that they trust you, believe in you. Every day when I come to work, I try to honor that. I've always been a leader. I'm more of a nurturer but will speak up when necessary. But yelling at people doesn't fix the problem.”

Wide receivers coach Gerad Parker says Lloyd's influence is obvious.

“He's team captain for a reason. We have great leadership in the room but it starts with (No.) 5, the way he practices and prepares every day. He'll do anything to help his football team win, to add worth to the program. He does have a quiet demeanor at times. But he'll speak up and say what needs to be said. He doesn't waste a lot of rhetoric.”

“Seeing him put in the work, giving the effort, that's something everybody feeds on,” Rahming adds.

All of this work has led Lloyd to become an effective receiver. He had 105 career catches after the Pittsburgh game, the 20th most in program history, with a chance to move up.

He's always been reliable. Quarterback Daniel Jones says of Lloyd, “I think he's a real easy guy to trust. He's a guy to talk to in practice. That helps develop chemistry. He's dependable. He's always in the right spot.”

More and more that right spot is deep in opposing secondaries, as he has become more than a slot receiver, doing what he calls “the dirty work, most of the underneath routes. I haven't had much of a chance to stretch the field. This is really the first year I've been able to play outside and run deep routes.”

Lloyd had a 52-yard score against Northwestern this season, a 66-yarder against Baylor.

Parker says Lloyd earned the right to play outside.

“He's worked his tail off to become better against man coverage, his ability to separate. We can hit the deep route with him.”

Having played quarterback and cornerback, Lloyd has what he calls a “unique perspective” at wide receiver. “It definitely helps to know what the other person is thinking so that you can counter what they're trying to throw at you. You know how to attack, how to have a plan in place.”

As if this weren't enough, Lloyd is the lead blocker on kickoff returns and has worked as the backup holder for the last two seasons.

Lloyd faced a personal crisis off the field, when his mother Angela died of a heart attack in May 2015. She was a minister. Lloyd credits her and his father Heith with instilling the values that have made him successful.

“My faith, my morals, my discipline comes from them. They never babied me. They taught me lessons as a youngster that I keep in mind to this day. When adversity hits, they wouldn't let me quit.”

Cutcliffe agrees.

“He has a heart for community and people. And that's exactly who his mom was and his dad is.”

Lloyd says he honors his mother with his work with the Ronald McDonald House at Duke Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, Reading With the Blue Devils, mentoring at nearby Lakewood Elementary and other volunteering opportunities.

The American Football Coaches Association honored Lloyd earlier this fall as a member of its annual Allstate Good Works Team.

“It's an honor,” Lloyd acknowledges. “I know some of the guys who have done that before, what they stood for, so to be mentioned with them means a lot. I just fell in line. A lot of guys in that locker room do that sort of thing.” Lloyd is Duke's ninth AFCA Good Works Team selection in Cutcliffe's 11 Duke seasons. Only 11 players are selected each year nationwide.

Lloyd graduated last spring with a degree in African American Studies and is working on a master's degree in liberal studies. He is a two-time Academic All-ACC selection.

Lloyd has NFL aspirations. “I'm better than my numbers show,” he states. “If I get the opportunity, I can do it.”

Parker agrees. “It will take a perfect situation, take a niche, where somebody realizes who he is, playing some special teams, making plays, make a late roster, because he has that will to play.”

Parker thinks Lloyd has the perfect temperament for coaching. Lloyd isn't so sure. He sees a wife and children in his future and recognizes the toll recruiting and 14-hour days would take on a family. He sees himself in the business sector, perhaps a non-profit.

“I've had a unique journey,” he says. “I wouldn't trade it. Everything I've been through has taught me something. I have no regrets and I'm okay with where I am right now — God-fearing, a selfless leader who works hard every day to better himself and the people around him.”

Players Mentioned

Daniel Jones

Johnathan Lloyd

T.J. Rahming

Duke information