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.

Rohan Blackwood

Over each recruiting cycle, there are always prospects who are sort of on the periphery of the scene. Recruiting services know about them, rank them, but always end up undervaluing them for whatever reason. Lack of an impressive offer list, failure to hit the camp/combine circuit, or just a regular case of being overlooked by the people whose job it is to rate football prospects. I really enjoy trying to find and identify those guys each year and watch them succeed as time goes on.

A prospect who has caught my eye this year is Brooksville Nature Coast athlete Rohan Blackwood. This guy is a real marvel to watch on tape, and his upside appears to be through the roof.



It should be added that these YouTube highlights are from his sophomore year. For updated clips, check here.

Sure, I'm a bit biased. I've made no attempt to hide my preference for trying to recruit as many prospects in the 6-foot-5, 220-pound range as possible. Blackwood, after skipping the summer AAU basketball circuit to focus on football in recent months, has put on 15 pounds since last season and moved into that size range heading into his senior season.

It should be noted that Blackwood hasn't been entirely overlooked. He is a three-star prospect on all of the services. But Scout is the only guy who has really jumped on board the bandwagon so far, rating Blackwood as the No. 60 player in the state of Florida. I'm confident he's better than that.

There's still weight to be gained and technique to be learned, but you can't teach the natural gifts Blackwood has. He recorded over 60 tackles and 15 sacks as a junior. He also recorded eight receptions for 130 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2012 on offense. And let's not forget the fact Blackwood averaged 15 and 11 on a 25-4 hardwood squad at Nature Coast last winter. I'm always a big fan of football prospects who excel at basketball as well. Again, the versatility comes into play. He could be a tight end, he could be a primary pass-rusher. The key is getting him on campus and to let things fall into place from there.

Colleges have taken note. Minnesota, Nebraska, South Florida, West Virginia and Wisconsin comprise his current top five. I can't help but think this guy should be getting love from the cream of the crop in the BCS, however. The fact that none of the "Big Three" have offered him boggles my mind. I'm convinced Rohan Blackwood will be a really nice pick-up for somebody. With added weight, more offensive responsibilities and big expectations, he could be one of the guys to see his recruitment really explode over the course of the fall.

Top five for RB Joe Mixon

Five-star RB Joe Mixon (Freedom, Calif./Oakley) has re-released his list of "Top Five" schools. This guy is clearly having fun with the recruiting process, but nonetheless, here's a look at the schools that made the cut:

Thanks to all of the colleges for the Opportunity I really appreciate it! This top 5 will not be in Order!
— ⚡PRIMETIME!!!⚡ (@Joe_MainMixon) August 26, 2013

1) Florida #GoGators🐊
— ⚡PRIMETIME!!!⚡ (@Joe_MainMixon) August 26, 2013

2)Cal #GoBears🐻
— ⚡PRIMETIME!!!⚡ (@Joe_MainMixon) August 26, 2013

3)Oklahoma #BoomerSooner
— ⚡PRIMETIME!!!⚡ (@Joe_MainMixon) August 26, 2013

4)Wisconsin #HoneyBadgers
— ⚡PRIMETIME!!!⚡ (@Joe_MainMixon) August 26, 2013

5)Oregon #GoDucks
— ⚡PRIMETIME!!!⚡ (@Joe_MainMixon) August 26, 2013

Wisconsin should come as no surprise. As often as the Badgers churn out 1,000-yard rushers – sometimes even two in a given season – you would figure they would be under consideration with more big-time running backs. Florida and Oregon are also intriguing options for the 6-foot-1, 207-pound prospect, but both schools already have five-star running back prospects committed to their respective programs for the 2014 class already. I think this one will ultimately come down to two schools: California and Oklahoma.

Both run wide-open offenses and have a need for a multi-purpose threat such as Mixon. He can stay a little closer to home, and help Sonny Dykes try to rebuild the program at Cal. Or, he can head to Norman and replace a trio of talented departing rushers in Brennan Clay, Roy Finch and Damian Williams.

In labelng an "all-purpose" back, recruiting services typically try to distinguish small "scatbacks" who can contribute in the passing and return games, from the more traditional 20-carry-a-game workhorse running back. Mixon, however, fits both descriptions. He's a big guy who can carry between the tackles, but he has breakaway speed and can be a threat on the perimeter as both as runner and receiver. He's also an accomplished return man at the prep level as well. Wherever Mixon winds up, he should prove to be an immediate-impact player.

Of course, with as wild and crazy as Mixon's recruitment has been to date, you might be able to toss all of this out the window by next week. In any case, expect a number of schools in addition to the five above, to continue their pursuit of the blue-chip running back.