First Look: Breaking Down 2021 OT Caleb Johnson
Notre Dame extended an offer to one of Florida’s best offensive tackles Wednesday evening when it extended a scholarship to Ocala (Fla.) Trinity Catholic blocker Caleb Johnson.
Living in Florida, there will not be a shortage of speed rushers to go watch play. What there continues to be a shortage of would be offensive tackles that can handle those edge rushers. A transplant from Indiana, Caleb Johnson already proved to be one of the best offensive tackles in Florida, and the south as a whole.
The 6-7, 290-pound talent holds offers from a growing list of schools that includes LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Tennessee, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi State, Kentucky, Duke, Missouri and Ole Miss among others.
As of Wednesday night, according to Johnson’s father Aaron Johnson, that list of offers increased by one, Notre Dame, which we reported that evening. Here’s a look at the Ocala (Fla.) Trinity Catholic offensive lineman’s junior film.
Trinity Catholic is a power, down-hill offense similar to what the Irish ran during the Lou Holtz era. Johnson helped lead the way for one of Florida’s top juniors, Jamarian Samuel, rush for 2,283 yards and 20 touchdowns this past season.
For 2019, Johnson played at roughly 270-to-275-pounds. He’s gaining good strength and is reported to be up to 290 pounds now. With that, I’ve witnessed Johnson play multiple times. He’s improved in the past few months as he continues to hone his craft. Here’s a look at three of the repetitions Johnson was a part of this past Sunday at the Under Armour Camp in Orlando.
During this first repetition, Johnson’s kick step does not quite reach the width of the defensive end, yet his feet keep moving after contact and his power negates Langston Hardy of Jacksonville (Fla.) Episcopal School from even staying upright.
Arguably the most important trait for an offensive tackle in today’s game would be playing against speed rushers. For this next play, Johnson pushes a pass rusher outside despite the defensive end doing a really nice job of coming off the edge hard and with good bend.
What should be considered Johnson’s best one-on-one repetition of the day comes from this last example. Johnson pass sets quickly, thrusts his hands into the pass rusher to slow his momentum, and finally moves back inside with the pass rusher to negate the spin move. Well done.
Johnson represents the type of player that many programs desire. He’s long, athletic, and he’s improving. Now that the Irish entered the race with an offer, it will be interesting to see where the Irish stand. I will be interviewing Johnson tonight to find out.
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