Cheer 2: Everything You Need To Know About TVCC Coach Vontae Johnson

Audiences of Cheer were treated to some new cast members this season, including Trinity Valley Community College head coach, Vontae Johnson. While the first season of the show focused exclusively on the 14-time championship-winning, Navarro College cheer squad, this sophomore installment expands its concentration to include several members of the Bulldogs’ rival squad, the TVCC Cardinals. The rivalry between Vontae Johnson and Navarro coach Monica Aldama serves as a major storyline as the two squads compete for the 2021 National Collegiate Cheer and Dance championship 2021 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Viewers were introduced to Vontae briefly in season 1, but only in passing. This new season spends much more time showcasing how his team prepares for the NCA Championship under his coaching. The producers had initially invited the competing squad to be a more prominent part of the first season, but Vontae didn’t want anything distracting his team from their focus of preparing for Daytona. However, after seeing how the breakout Netflix docuseries turned out, he changed his perspective. “We loved how they portrayed our sport,” he told Entertainment Tonight in a recent interview. “So, we definitely didn’t turn it down the second time.” Fan are glad he did, as they are enjoying getting to know him.

Vontae hails from Ocala, Florida. His parents divorced when he was quite young, leaving he and his siblings to be raised by his hard-working, single mother. Money was a constant struggle. But he refused to let his situation keep him from success. In an interview session on this season’s Cheer, Vontae explains, “I think we all have that thought when you’re growing up in the hood, that you need to be good at something to get out of the situation that you’re handed…So sports was the easiest way out for us.” The future TVCC cheer coach excelled at both basketball and football, despite having a smaller physique than most other players. During his high school football games, Vontae would celebrate points by doing a victory flip or back handspring. This caught the eye of the cheer coach who recruited him for the squad.

After high school, Vontae continued with cheer, after making the esteemed Trinity Valley Community College squad. Interestingly enough, during Vontae’s run as a student at the junior college, the team failed to win a single national championship. Vontae often shares with his squad his story of dropping a stunt during his own team’s Daytona performance, potentially costing them that year’s title. He hopes his story motivating his squad to practice hard to avoid succumbing to the same fate.

Vontae has been the head coach of the Cardinals cheer squad since 2017. The job is his first coaching position, which was offered to him after his coach own former coach, Khris Franklin, left. Franklin has since returned to the squad, first serving as Johnson’s assistant coach and now working beside him in a co-head coach role.

While he certainly gives 100% to the students he coaches, it seems he’s not done with his own time on the mat just yet either.  Throughout his cheer career, Vontae has competed on distinguished teams like Team USA coed and Cheer Athletics Claw6. And at the time of Cheer season 2’s filming, he was training for the Cheerleading Worlds Competition as an active member of the CA Wildcats squad. Hopefully, with all he gives to his TVCC squad his participatory teams, he’ll still find time to make a few  appearances in season 3.

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