'Proven winner' Ja'Rome Johnson boosting Tucson Sugar Skulls' postseason hopes

Tucson had an offense that ranked near the bottom of the IFL, and the offense was a key part of the Sugar Skulls' 2-6 start.

After cycling through two quarterbacks, season-opening starter Draylen Ellis and Kacey Otto, the Sugar Skulls made a trade for IFL veteran Ja'Rome Johnson.

Since then, the Sugar Skulls have won two straight games against the Orlando Pirates and New Mexico Chupacabras, averaging 51.5 points in both games. Before Johnson joined the Sugar Skulls, Tucson averaged 26.8 points per game. Johnson accounted for a combined eight touchdowns in his first two contests with the Sugar Skulls.

Johnson has thrown for a combined six touchdowns and no interceptions since he was traded to Tucson.

"There's a bunch of playmakers at every position," Johnson said. "Any given day, anyone can have a breakout game."

His top targets include Sugar Skulls wide receiver Jaivian Lofton, who had three catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns last week against New Mexico, along with Jaron Waters, Terrell Brown, the newly added Justin McGriff and running back Brandon Mackey. 

"It's amazing what one player can do," Tucson Sugar Skulls head coach Rayshaun Kizer said of Johnson. "You bring in a veteran quarterback, a proven winner like Ja'Rome Johnson, it elevates everybody's game. Ja'Rome has been great. He's been really professional ever since he came in. He leads the offense, and he's very vocal in meetings with the guys, making sure they're on the same page.

"He's been great. You've seen the turnaround in our offense since he's been here. He's a playmaker. When the play isn't there, he has his legs to run. No matter what I call, he's going to make a play out of it. It's fun to have him here and see him go out and compete every week." 

Johnson, a Washington D.C. native and Bowie State alumnus, started his IFL career in 2024 with the Vegas Knight Hawks. Johnson said "the speed is the biggest difference" between indoor football and traditional outdoor football.

"In college, you get away with seeing people open," Johnson said. "In the IFL, it's about anticipation and you have to throw a man open. There's not as much time on the field to sit there and wait for it."

Johnson was named IFL MVP after leading the Knight Hawks to an 11-5 record and the franchise's first postseason appearance.

Johnson had 1,985 passing yards for 43 passing touchdowns, along with 843 rushing yards and a league-best 37 rushing touchdowns during his MVP campaign in 2024. Johnson was also IFL Offensive Player of the Week four times in 2024. 

"It was just me playing football," Johnson said. "To be honest, that wasn't the best football I had to offer. I'm still working on becoming a better player." 

Kizer has been game-planning against Johnson for the last two-plus seasons with the Sugar Skulls. Tucson faced Johnson when he was in Vegas for two seasons and then earlier this season when he was with the New Mexico Chupacabras. 

"He's fast," Kizer said of Johnson. "If you don't prepare for him, he's going to gash you in the run game." 

Vegas re-signed Johnson in 2025, but rookie quarterback and former Arizona Wildcat Jayden de Laura took over as starter and led the Knight Hawks to an IFL championship at Tucson Arena last year. De Laura replaced the injured Johnson and remained the starting quarterback after having the hot hand. In other words, Johnson was "Wally Pipped," which wasn't a new experience for him. 

"I've been in that position before when I was in college," Johnson said. "I just helped (de Laura) out as much as possible because we were still teammates and we had the same goal. I think that's why our relationship is as good as it is now, because there was no hatred towards one another, we were just trying to help each other out. ... Me and Jayden are still good friends." 

With de Laura returning for another season in Vegas, Johnson knew it was time to relocate with hopes of starting. Johnson said his two-year stint with the Knight Hawks "was amazing and I enjoyed every second I was in Vegas."

"It was just time for me to explore," he added. "I learned a lot there. It helped me become the player I am today." 

Johnson signed with New Mexico, an expansion franchise in Albuquerque, but "he and the front office weren't really seeing eye to eye, so they traded him to the east, because they didn't want to play him," Kizer said. The Chupacabras (1-9) are bottom-dwellers in their first season in the IFL. Three of New Mexico's losses this season are against Tucson. 

After New Mexico traded Johnson to the Tulsa Oilers, former Sugar Skulls head coach Billy Back — who coached the team for two seasons before he was fired last year — made a trade with his former team. In return, the Oilers received Ellis. 

The transition to Tucson "is a big change," and the Sugar Skulls offense is "more down the field, taking shots and there's more firepower," Johnson said. 

It's been a mutually beneficial partnership between Johnson and the Sugar Skulls. The Sugar Skulls (4-6) currently own the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference standings, which is the last spot for the IFL playoffs. The Sugar Skulls face one of the biggest tests of the season: Johnson's former team in Vegas, which beat Tucson, 64-43, to start the season.

Tucson and Vegas (9-1) square off Saturday night at 7 at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. The Knight Hawks, quarterbacked by de Laura, enter this week as the top team in the IFL, along with the Jacksonville Sharks (9-1). 

"In the IFL, anyone can be beaten on any given Saturday or Sunday," Johnson said.

For Johnson, he's calling his time in Tucson "a new life." 

"I've got enjoyment playing football," Johnson said. "I feel like a little kid all over again. It's a little kid's game that I get to wake up every day and play. I have the love for football again. I'm enjoying it."

Extra points

– Tucson native and former Salpointe Catholic standout Mario Padilla, who signed with the Sugar Skulls as a running back and slot receiver last month, is "probably out at least four weeks" with a knee injury, Kizer said. Padilla could potentially miss the remainder of the season, but is expected to return for the 2027 season. 

– Before the next home game against the Arizona Rattlers on Saturday, June 20, the Sugar Skulls are hosting a pilates class on the field at Tucson Arena. Check-in for the class is on June 20 at 1 p.m. The pilates class begins at 1:15 p.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. The Rattlers-Sugar Skulls game kicks off at 7 p.m. Registration for the pilates class can be found at SweatPals.com.

– The Sugar Skulls have two home games before the IFL playoffs: Arizona Rattlers on June 20 and the Northern Arizona Wranglers on July 19. Tucson Arena is hosting the IFL championship on Aug. 16.