ROGERS — Forrest Johnson will take his big-play abilities on the football field to Henderson State after signing a National Letter of Intent at a ceremony Wednesday inside the Rogers Heritage football fieldhouse.

Johnson, a 6-foot, 171-pound wide receiver with good speed, is excited about fitting in for the Reddies, who finished 10-1 a year ago and went undefeated during the regular season.

“It’s a very special day,” Johnson said. “They were the first ones to talk to me and contacted me the third week of the season and said they were going to offer me a scholarship.

“I got down there to see a few games and just fell in love with it.”

The War Eagles standout earned all-conference and all-state honors this season after racking up 1,392 yards and 15 touchdowns on 71 receptions. He also ran for 246 yards on 37 carries and added four rushing touchdowns.

Those numbers came after a junior season in which Johnson rolled up 919 receiving yards on 50 catches for 11 touchdowns, along with 359 on the ground.

Johnson’s monster senior season culminated with a record-setting game in the first round of the playoffs against West Memphis. He finished with 18 catches for 287 yards and a touchdown in Heritage’s 43-36 loss to the Blue Devils.

He was also selected to play in the Arkansas High School Coaches’ Association All-Star football game in Conway in June.

“I feel like I really progressed mentally and physically this year and just learning the game of football,” Johnson said.

Heritage football coach Perry Escalante said he’s excited for Johnson and his future.

“Forrest has continued to set the bar high here,” Escalante said. “He’s the 14th person to sign a football scholarship out of our program in four years. We’re very happy for him.”

Johnson, who’s also the defending Class 7A state outdoor high jump champion, said he could have a chance to play right away at Henderson State.

“They lost a slot receiver to graduation, so they think I could most definitely get some playing time at least rotating in,” Johnson said. “I’m OK with redshirting because it can give me that extra advantage later.

“But if I get the chance, I want to play right away.”