Four offers for LB Jakob Johnson

A few weeks ago, we brought you the tale of German transplant Jakob Johnson, whose name was just beginning to generate a buzz in recruiting circles. Johnson, as you may remember, made the decision to come over to the States in the summer to play his senior year of prep football at Ribault High School in Jacksonville.

Well, the story continues to be written. It turns out that, as expected, Johnson's stock continues to rise.

#Wisconsin #Badgers just offered me
— JakobJohnson (@JohnsonJakob) October 7, 2013

It should be noted that Wisconsin already has a commitment from Ribault quarterback D.J. Gillins, also a new addition at Ribault this fall, after previously playing at Eagle's View Academy in Jacksonville.

Justin Barney, a Preps writer for the Florida Times-Union also gave a positive review of Johnson's play in during a 42-29 victory for Bishop Kenny over Ribault on Friday.

@justinlwells He looks good. Definitely passes the eye test. Dropped an INT late in 2nd half; better coming up to play the run.
— Justin Barney (@JustinBarneyTU) October 5, 2013

The offer from Wisconsin gives Johnson four now, as he previously picked up tenders from Idaho, Tennessee and Tulane as well. In addition, Johnson visited Florida State on Saturday for the Seminoles' 63-0 win over Maryland at Doak Campbell Stadium, proving he's on the radar for a whole bunch of schools other than just the four who have throw their hat in the ring so far.

Many schools probably want to see as much tape as possible before offering a prospect who is new to the States, and that makes sense. Still, I'm not sure how long some programs can stand to wait before pulling the trigger on the offer if they are taking a look at Johnson. He does plan to enroll early at the school of his choice, so his time frame on making a decision is obviously a bit more accelerated than some.

Going back to the positives for Johnson here. The size is ideal (6-4, 240). He's comfortable in space, enough so that I don't think it's out of the question he could play the MIKE in a 4-3, although he figures to probably be a better fit at linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. He's got a big frame, enough that some more certainly isn't out of the question, meaning a transition to the defensive front is possible too.

Then, throw in the fact that he can be on campus in January. If there's concern about his knowledge of the game or adjusting to playing the ball at this level in America, he will get an entire spring practice under his belt before his freshman season. There are a bunch of positives here. Johnson's best days on the gridiron are clearly way out in front of him.

And with the Big Three schools now apparently moving into the mix as well (Florida State and Miami have expressed interest, still no word on Florida yet), the pursuit of Jakob Johnson could get very intriguing over the next several weeks as he continues to take visits and consider his options at the next level.

An update on Ribault LB Jakob Johnson

Last Friday, I posted about Jacksonville Ribault linebacker Jakob Johnson and whether not he was a player to watch. I think we all have our answer now.

From the Florida Times-Union:

Ribault linebacker Jakob Johnson made nine tackles and forced two turnovers, and hard-rushing ends Gary Alexander and De’Andra Pinckney kept Baker County quarterback Jacob Carter under pressure throughout the game.

Johnson has given Ribault a boost on the defensive side of the football, as the Trojans are 2-1 through three games and appear to be in control of their district after a critical 17-9 victory over Baker County (and top 2015 D-Line prospect C.C. Jefferson) on Friday night.

Highlights of Ribault LB Jakob Johnson from his days across the pond.

While his highlights from Germany were intriguing, the lack of competition was very much apparent on film. Now that XOS Digital has posted a three-game cut of Johnson for the beginning of this year, it's clear that he was very much up to the test of what Florida high school football would provide him with.

(Let me add that Jeff Martin of XOS was clearly ahead of the pack in pegging Johnson as a big-time prospect, spotting him nearly the moment he got off the plane from Germany, it appears).

Sleeper OLB, @JohnsonJakob, transferred from Stuttgart Germany. Check out his highlights https://t.co/SDIWMW44ER
— Jeff Martin (@Jeff_XOS) July 28, 2013

Listed at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, Johnson appears to be very fluid and comfortable playing in space. Frankly, he is a strikingly similar to Florida State LB commit Kain Daub, both in appearance and stature. One big difference that jumps out at me, however, is Johnson's ability to play in space. Daub, in past years, has shown he is a better player moving straight-ahead, but struggles playing side-to-side a bit. He's a little stiff in the hips, but otherwise an excellent prospect and superb pass-rusher. Johnson, however, does not have this issue. His movements on film are very fluid. And while he isn't the fastest guy in the world on tape, I could still see him being a very effective linebacker at the next level because of the ease of his lateral movement (think Brandon Spikes, if you will).

Now, there will likely be a period of adjustment for Johnson. I don't see him as a guy to step right in and star at the next level. But his upside is through the roof. And if the 6-4, 240 figures check out, he may bring a lot of positional versatility to the table as well, with the potential to possibly grow into a defensive lineman down the road.

Guess who got an offer from Tennessee....#GoVols
— JakobJohnson (@JohnsonJakob) September 20, 2013

Idaho and Tennessee have now offered in recent days, the latter doing so after assistant coach Tommy Thigpen evaluated Johnson in person at the Baker County-Ribault game last week. I find it hard to believe there won't be about 50 other schools blazing a trail to Jacksonville over the coming days to get in on the recruitment of Johnson, who now figures to be one of the rising stars of the fall.

For more highlights on Johnson, also give his Hudl page a look-see.

German transplant Jakob Johnson: Player to watch?

The name of Jacksonville Ribault linebacker Jakob-Elijah Johnson popped up on the radar this week ($). Johnson is playing his senior year of prep football in the Sunshine State, by way of Stuttgart, Germany.



It's hard to read too much into the highlights above from his time on the field in Germany. The competition Johnson faces is fairly dreadful. There are also a few assorted clips on Hudl from his first three games at Ribault, as well. He certainly looks the part, however. And Johnson clearly displays a willingness to initiate contact, which is awfully important in any prospect projecting to the defensive side of the football.

Ribault has Johnson listed at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, up from the 6-3, 230 his highlight videos posted on YouTube back in February had him at. If either measurement is legitimate, Johnson has excellent size for a LB/DE prospect coming out of the prep ranks.

Germany, of course, probably would be considered to have the best track record of producing football players out of any country in Europe. New England Patriots offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer is a native of Germany, as is Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Bjoern Warner. Markus Kuhn starred at N.C. State and spent last season with the Giants. There have been a few success stories in recent years, to be sure.

Of course, there's also the example of Constantin Ritzmann. The "Germanator" was highly publicized coming out of North Florida Christian in Tallahassee where he starred for a year after coming over from Germany. Ritzmann never quite lived up to the hype, but did carve out a solid career in Knoxville, and had a cup of coffee in the NFL.

In any case, the physical skills indicate that Johnson is at least worth a look for major college programs looking to add some size in the front seven. His story should be an interesting one to follow over the coming months.