Signed: Anthony "TJ" Johnson
WHAT HE DID: After starting for two seasons at Cleveland Heights, Anthony Johnson transferred to Euclid High following his junior year. In his lone season at Euclid, he totaled 40 tackles and seven interceptions, leading the Panthers to a 10-3 record. Euclid reached the OHSAA Division I regional final before losing to eventual state champion St. Edward, 33-0.
WHAT HE WON Johnson earned a three-star rating from Rivals.com. He’s ranked 59th nationally at cornerback and 38th among all Ohio prospects. He earned top performer honors at the Rivals.com/Under Armour Camp in Cleveland last spring and was also a first-team Associated Press All-State selection in Division I.
WHERE HE VISITED Johnson earned a dozen scholarship offers from Football Bowl Subdivision programs. He was focused on Buffalo and Massachusetts during the final months of the process, before Penn State and North Carolina State began showing interest in late January. Mulling whether to visit the Nittany Lions or Wolfpack on the weekend of Jan. 29-31, he chose the Lions and received an offer from James Franklin two days later. Johnson committed immediately.
QUOTABLE Johnson: “When I was there, I loved everything about it, so that’s why I had to jump on the offer so quickly. Once I saw the stadium and met the coaches, I was really excited. I already knew Coach [Tim] Banks from Illinois, but then, when I met everyone else, I really liked what they had to say and what they had to show me. It was just a great weekend, so I knew that this was where I wanted to go as soon as I got the offer.”
PHIL’S TAKE Johnson has excellent hand-eye coordination and closes on the football extremely well. He has the speed (4.55 seconds in the 40) and one-on-one coverage skills to play the boundary cornerback position, but with his tall frame, he could develop into a free safety at Penn State. He played the boundary cornerback spot as a senior at Euclid and finished with a conference-leading seven interceptions. If he can improve his tackling technique, provide solid run support and bulk up to about 200 pounds, I think it’s likely he will end up at safety. He’s a very solid late addition to Penn State’s class.