At the season premiere of “The Bachelor” on Monday, there was about a three-second clip of Matt James wearing a Kevin Johnson Texans shirt.
If you were doing anything other than watching the show – “The Bachelor” is the perfect background noise show for folding clothes – you may have missed it.
In the first few minutes, they were telling everyone about James as the bachelor. He runs shirtless, loves his mother and works with children. Yes, ABC was putting everything in order from the beginning.
In a footage of James working with children in New York City, he is shown wearing a Kevin Johnson Houston Texans shirt.
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James and Johnson are close friends, who spent five years as teammates in Wake Forest. Both were part of the Demon Deacons recruiting class in 2010 and dressed together in their first season on campus before playing together for the next four seasons.
With Johnson being the best cornerback for Wake Forest and James among the best recipients on the team, the two often came face to face in practice. In fact, before the 2014 season, Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said the NFL scouts were in their training asking him to pit Johnson against James.
“They said, ‘Coach, the confrontation we want to see is (Johnson) versus (James),” Clawson told the Winston Salem Journal in 2014. “I said,’ This is the confrontation you are going to have, whether you like it or not. . ‘
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Matt James, the charismatic and engaging star in ABC’s hit romance reality series, The Bachelor, will distribute the roses in his 25th season.
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WINSTON SALEM, NC – SEPTEMBER 17: Matt James # 87 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons prepares for a blow by Kamar Morrison # 13 of the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs at BB&T Field on September 17, 2011 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. The Demon Deacons defeated the Runnin ‘Bulldogs 48-5. (Photo by Brian A. Westerholt / Getty Images)
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May 9, 2015: Matt James during exercises at the Carolina Panthers Mini Camp held at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jim Dedmon / Icon Sportswire / Corbis / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
May 9, 2015: Second round chooses Devin Funchess from Michigan and Matt James from Wake Forest during practice at the Carolina Panthers Mini Camp held at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jim Dedmon / Icon Sportswire / Corbis / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 5: Tyler Cameron (L) and Matt James attend Todd Snyder’s fashion show during New York Fashion Week Men’s at Pier 59 Studios on February 5, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Dominik Bindl / Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 6: Matt James and Tyler Cameron participate in the relaunch of Delta SkyMiles® American Express cards at Helen Mills Event Space on February 6, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt / Getty Images for the Delta SkyMiles® American Express card portfolio)
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NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 9: Matt James and Tyler Cameron attend The Blonds A / W 20 Fashion Show on February 9, 2020 at Spring Studios in New York City. (Photo by Paul Bruinooge / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 17: Tyler Cameron (L) and Matt James attend the Hudson River Park Annual Gala at Cipriani South Street on October 17, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images for Hudson River Park)
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“I think there is no question if you ask KJ or Matt what helped them the most, they are going against each other every day. This is a great body that Kevin has to face every day, and Matt James knows that if he can open up against KJ, he will have to deserve it. “
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Johnson was chosen by the Texans in the first round of the draft the following year. Johnson played four seasons with the Texans before signing with Buffalo Bills in 2019. This season, he started six games for the Cleveland Browns.
