After the Poinsettia Bowl, safety Robert Johnson will leave the Utes in much the same way as he came to them three years ago: as a wide-eyed, happy-go-lucky guy eager to embrace what the world has in store for him next.

He might be an FBI agent, he might be an NFL player or he might do something in which he can continue his mentoring work with children.

Whatever his next career is, he is determined to embrace it just as he did his time with the Utes.

"I've come here to Utah and gotten to experience different things and now I've got my degree and it's time for other new things," he said. "I'm still having fun."

Such an attitude is one of the main reasons Johnson made it to the Utah campus in the first place.

Raised in South Central Los Angeles, Johnson easily could have fallen into the same trap that many of his friends did: a world of gangs, drugs and poverty.

A worse fate could have been that of his father, who was murdered during a robbery when Johnson was 6 years old, leaving Johnson's mother to raise a family of five boys and two sisters.

"People look at pictures of my dad and say, 'Oh, I remember this or this,' and I don't," he said. "It was real tough. There were a lot of things I've seen that you can only imagine or that a lot of people see on TV or in the movies. For me to even get out of my neighborhood, it was luck."

The strong guidance of his mother and the structure that sports provided allowed Johnson to survive.

"She told us no matter what happened to us, as long as you continue to play sports, there is no telling what could happen for you," Johnson said. "She worked a lot of jobs, doing things like construction that most people thought women couldn't do trying to make ends meet for us."

At a loss at first as to how to raise such a large family on her own, Johnson's mother, Wanda, continued the discipline her husband had started.

"When we didn't have a car, he'd ride a bike with one boy on the handlebars and one on his shoulders and take them to practice like that," she said. "I decided I had to continue what he started. If it wasn't for a lot of coaches who kept them going in the right way, it could have been different, but I kept them in everything from basketball, baseball, football, track -- and it helped a lot. A lot of kids had their minds going in different directions because there was nothing positive for them."

Sports gave Johnson and his siblings motivation as well as structure.

Coaches didn't allow them to play if their grades weren't sufficient and would fine them if their language wasn't considerate. Their mother was a constant presence, too, coaching many of her children's teams.

Providing for his mother to repay her for her care became a driving force for Johnson. And he always thought he'd take care of her by working, but he wasn't sure what he would do exactly.

He planned to figure that out after he left L.A. Southwest College, where he ran track and played football.

"I always told her to hold on, the money would be there," he said. "I just thought I'd get a job doing something."

Instead, fate gave him a different path. Utah defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake noticed Johnson while recruiting another player from his team. Impressed with Johnson's natural athletic ability, Sitake persuaded Johnson to come to Utah.

Johnson didn't know much about Utah, nor had he ever given much thought to continuing his athletic career, but he didn't hesitate at the opportunity.

"I thought it would be something different," he said.

The rangy, 6-foot-2 safety made a name for himself in one of his first games against UCLA, with two interceptions, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and six tackles in the Utes' 44-6 victory.

He hasn't stopped making the big plays since, earning All-MWC honors while continuing to improve his football skills to become not just a good safety but a great, well-rounded defender.

"He was very raw and unpolished when he first got here but he has come a long way in every aspect of his game, from his pass coverage to his run support," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "That is probably the area he has made the biggest difference, in his run support."

Johnson hopes he has improved enough to make it at the pro level. If he doesn't, he plans to use his sociology degree to possibly join the FBI. He is drawn to the field not for the violence but for a positive characteristic he can identify with.

"It would be like another team atmosphere like football," he said. "I was going to use my degree and see where it would take me with it, but I'm going to try the NFL first; everyone says it wouldn't hurt to try."

He'd love to land a nice contract that would allow him to take care of his mother, a desire she laughs off. She says she has enough support, since Johnson's older brothers have grown into successful teachers and she has other family members who help out when needed.

"When I lost my husband, I didn't know how I was going to do it, but they all turned out good," she said. "I tell Robert there is no payback. I did what I was supposed to do and nothing out of the ordinary. My sons are something else."

Wanda Johnson's voice is light and airy and full of hope as she talks about her family. Listening to her makes it easy to understand how Johnson came from such a harsh background yet manages to greet the world and its opportunities with his big, dimpled smile.

"I still have that other side," he said of the destitute memories of his childhood neighborhood. "But what is the use of showing it? I'm having fun. I got a scholarship, I'm playing football and I'm having fun. Life is good and I'm going to get better as long as I stay focused."

lwodraska@sltrib.com