| Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,189
High Fived: 691 in 389 posts
Given High Fives: 727 Rep Power: 971 | ESPN Recruiting says.......Johnson is a load of back with deceptive speed and lateral quicks. His good feet can actually be a detriment at times. He can take extra east-west cuts instead of blasting it downhill. Johnson has great size and, for the most part, runs with good body lean despite checking in at 6-0. Very thickly built, particularly through his lower body which has a wide, powerful base. Johnson shows good urgency out of his stance, attacking the line of scrimmage. When he decides to plant and go downhill it is very difficult to arm-tackle this guy. Johnson flashes good burst out of cuts and quickly generates impressive downhill momentum to help him power through arm tackles. He runs with such a low center of gravity that he bounces off a lot of initial contact and defenders rarely get a solid shot on him. Has very strong, thick thighs and legs; runs through a lot of tackles and also breaks out of the pile with constant drive and second effort. Throws a viscous stiff-arm when he breaks free in the secondary and is the type of back who will make smaller defensive backs think twice about coming up to stick him. However, he does not always utilize his power to his advantage. Takes extra jump-cuts and dances a bit causing him to loses speed and downhill momentum. Tends to look for the big run on every carry. We would like to see him develop into more of a one-cut and go back but still run with the patience to see the cutback and occasional slide through the smaller creases. Overall, Johnson will surprise you with his extra gear and deceptively good top-end speed for a power-back. He has the physical tools to wear down a defense and carry the load for a major college program with the rare feet to occasionally rip off a long run. Underrated prospect if he lands in the right system that feeds him the ball.
Notes
Expected to enroll early... Holding 17 scholarship offers (April 2009, TigerGumbo.com)... 2008: Rushed for 1,300 yards and 21 touchdowns... Transferred from Buford, Ga. after junior season... |