2021 Recruiting Profile: Florida Gators WR Target Malcolm Johnson Jr.
Malcolm Johnson Jr., Wide Receiver
School: St. Stephen's & St. Agnes, Bryans Road (MD.)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 185-pounds
247Sports Composite Rating: Four stars, No. 38 WR, No. 6 overall (Maryland), No. 199 overall (national)
Recruitment History:
From the Gators' perspective, Johnson was offered by the team on March 27th earlier this offseason. With the Gators in need of weapons along the offensive side of the football, it was a no-brainer to recruit one of the fastest athletes in high school football.
Earlier in his recruiting process, Johnson released his initial top-teams list which had yet to include the Florida offer. On the list included, Ole Miss, Alabama, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Oklahoma, and Texas.
An extensive list which shouldn't come as much of a surprise as many high school athletes have offered lists of that length or even sometimes higher simply to continue their recruitment and advance their presence online in the faces of recruiters.
All in all, Johnson currently has 28 offers on the table, however, after several virtual visits, he officially cut the list down to eight yesterday.
After his virtual visit with the Gators last week, Johnson told GatorCountry the visit was "pretty good", and offered some insight into how the visit went as a whole which apparently included several Gators players such as Kyle Pitts, Xzavier Henderson and Trevon Grimes, something he says was original as far as virtual visits went.
Included on the list of eight for Johnson are the Gators, Auburn, Alabama, LSU. Maryland, Texas, USC and Georgia.
Johnson projects as a track athlete as well and would join the Gators as a two-sport athlete if he were to commit and sign with the team following this year's recruiting cycle.
Prior to his virtual visit, the Gators appeared to be recruiting Johnson hard, sending him photos of himself in a mock edition of the video game NCAA Football 21, along with other pictures to entice the athlete to join the program next year.
Where He Fits
With the Gators already landing a do-it-all speed player in Charles Montgomery, Johnson would make sense as a second addition. At 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Johnson offers a size-speed combo the Gators don't necessarily have much of at the position for the 2021 class. The Gators clearly covet length at the position as well, as seen by several of their previous recruits.
In high school, Johnson ran track, showing off his elite speed. Johnson ran a 200-meter dash in 21.37 seconds. For reference, the high school outdoor-track record for a 200-meter dash is only 20.09 seconds. He also runs 55 meters in 6.26 seconds - simply put, he's fast.
Johnson would also be a player the Gators can use all over the field, not only at wide receiver but at kick returner and in the backfield where he would line up at, at times in high school.
In high school, Johnson had an average of 17.7 yards per reception along with totaling 11 touchdowns (seven receiving) on the year last season, according to maxpreps.com.
With the Gators still unsure whether or not former commit receiver/running back, Brashard Smith will re-commit with the team, the program could use the speed Johnson offers, and would likely be a welcome addition to the Gators football program, along with its track program.
Johnson has made no official date for when he would like to announce his commitment.