By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
What a ride it has been for senior guard Flau’jae Johnson.
Since stepping foot on campus, the Savannah, Georgia native has built a lasting legacy at LSU. From winning a national championship as a freshman to releasing multiple albums and collaborating with some of the biggest names in hip-hop, Johnson’s career will not be forgotten where the stately oaks and broad magnolias stand.
Johnson will play her final game in Baton Rouge on Sunday, when second-seeded LSU (28-5, 12-4 SEC) faces seventh-seeded Texas Tech (26-7, 12-6 Big 12) inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (2 p.m., ABC).
It’s safe to say emotions will be running high for the decorated senior beloved by Baton Rouge.
“I’m trying not to think about it because I’m trying to focus on the game,” Johnson said Saturday. “But I am not going to be okay. I woke up this morning and cleaned out my locker ‘cause it’s the last time I’m really going to play here.”
“It’s a sad day today, I’m not gonna lie.”
— Reed Darcey (@byreeddarcey) March 21, 2026
Flau’jae Johnson works through the emotions of her last game in the PMAC
while smearing cream cheese on a bagel pic.twitter.com/OOeV7LQ1aS
Johnson is one of a kind – among the few collegiate athletes to stay all four years at one university in an NIL-driven era. Baton Rouge and the state of Louisiana, she said, will always be home.
“I love Louisiana. I love Baton Rouge,” Johnson said. “I have family down here, so I have places to stay, but I’ll probably stay at coach Starkey’s house or something like that. I just really love it here. This is really a second home.”
So, what makes Louisiana so special to the Savannah native?
“The food, the people, NOT the potholes,” Johnson said. “Just the energy – it’s just different here. I’m kind of jealous of people who are from here. It’s much cooler.”
Head coach Kim Mulkey knows Sunday will be emotional, too, as Johnson holds a special place in her heart. Johnson was the first McDonald’s All-American Mulkey signed at LSU, and she believes fans should send her off the right way.
“Flau’jae Johnson deserves to have this place sold out,” Mulkey said Friday. “When you think about LSU sports, Flau’jae may be the only one that we don’t need to know what her last name is. What she gives and does in the community with all her money, and she’s just, she’s a joy. But it’s just we need to sell this place out. I don’t know if we’re playing a daytime game or a night game yet. But let’s do our part as people that appreciate a young athlete like that.”
When Johnson steps off the floor inside the PMAC for the final time, she wants it to be known she will always be grateful to LSU.
“I bleed purple and gold. I’m a Tiger for life. It’s in my veins now,” Johnson said softly. “And I’m thankful that they came and took a chance on me.”
Although she’s almost always in the gym, she’s made some of her best memories during her time at LSU. Some of her favorites?
“Performing with Lil Wayne – he brought me out at his concert. That was live,” Johnson said. “Going to the Super Bowl down here. Jayden Daniels beating Alabama – we stormed the field. And winning the natty, obviously.”
Even as her playing career winds down, Johnson plans to remain close to the program.
“I plan to be very present,” Johnson said. “I plan to be coming back, but it’s not like playing. It’s not like having that jersey. It’s not like being in it. In a way, I’m going to be an outsider. That’s going to suck. But I told coach Mulkey, when y’all go out of town, give me a seat on the plane and I’m going to come, so hopefully they let me.”
No matter what happens Sunday, Johnson’s finale in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center promises to be a bittersweet moment for fans – both at LSU and across the sport.
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