CHARLOTTESVILLE - It almost goes without saying that punter Sean Johnson has become the first player to return to Virginia's football team after spending two years on a Mormon mission.

In order to return from a Mormon mission, you'd have to go on a Mormon mission. As far as anybody can tell, no UVa athlete has ever done that. It certainly was not on Johnson's mind when he arrived at Charlottesville in the fall of 2000.

"I wasn't going to go," said Johnson, the first-team All-Group AAA punter as a senior at Langley High School in 1999. "It was something that I continually thought about and decided that it was something that I needed to do for me."

After second-team All-ACC selection Mike Abrams completed his eligibility, Virginia would not have had a punter in the 2001 spring game if Johnson had not provided his services. But Johnson already knew he was leaving for two years.

"When I left, I kind of figured, that was it," Johnson said. "I had given up my shot. I didn't expect them to sit around and twiddle their thumbs until I got back."

After all, the Cavaliers had signed Tom Hagan, Johnson's successor as the All-Group AAA punter.

Head coach Al Groh hailed Hagan as UVa's No.1 punter before he stepped foot on campus, and Hagan took all but one punt over the 2002 and 2003 seasons.

When Hagan's distance fell off during an injury-plagued 2003 season, Groh was unable to give reporters any information about Johnson other than to say that special teams coach Corwin Brown had been keeping up with him.

"When we're on the mission, we're not allowed to call," Johnson said. "We're allowed to call home twice a year. Besides that, it's just letters and e-mails. I had permission to call Coach Brown and talk to him a little bit. They have pretty strict rules regarding everything."

Neither Johnson nor any of the missionaries had a say in where they are sent. He could have been sent to the Himalayas. Instead, he was dispatched to Las Vegas.

"I had Coach Brown send me a couple of footballs," Johnson said. "We had one day off a week, when I'd be able to kick."

Johnson had made the decision to return to the team, with no real plans to win the starting job, when he learned in mid-March that Hagan had decided to concentrate on baseball and would be leaving football.

"I was looking forward to the opportunity," Johnson said, "but there's always competition"

After newcomer Kurt Korte and 2003 back-up Noah Greenbaum split time in the spring, Johnson joined a cast of preseason candidates that included signee Chris Gould and walk-on Bryan Lescanec.

"It looks like the punt, pass and kick competition out there," Groh said early in camp. "After practice, it looked like we ought to be giving out balloons and Happy Meals, there's so many of them."

Groh said this week that he expects either Johnson or Korte, a transfer from William and Mary, would win the job.

Johnson is a protege of Northern Virginia kicking guru and one-time Virginia Tech punter Bill Renner, the head coach at Langley before moving to West Springfield. Johnson attended Renner's camp this summer.

"I think he's going to pick right up where he left off," Renner said Friday. "He's got the leg strength and the mechanics and probably the other thing that separates him is his demeanor. He's just extremely even-keeled in terms of striking the ball, which is paramount."

Johnson, who turned 22 in April, has three years of college football eligibility remaining.

"I'll be pretty old by the time I get out of college," Johnson said. "Kicking is something that's fun and I enjoy it and I love being here, but the last two years have been the best years of my life. I've learned the most. I grew the most. It's helped me realize how lucky I am and how fortunate I am, and helped me to be a lot more grateful. "