Highlights & Evaluation: Louisville CB Commit Josh Johnson

Louisville Report breaks down 2025 Louisville football cornerback commit Josh Johnson.

Ironton (Oh.) HS cornerback Josh Johnson / Jeremy Holtzapfel via The Ironton Tribune

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program's hot recruiting streak in the month of June keeps going, as Josh Johnson has committed to the Cardinals.

Here is Louisville Report's full evaluation:

Prospect: Joshua Johnson
Position: Cornerback
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 185 pounds
School: Ironton (Oh.) HS
Top Offers: Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan State, Penn State, Tennessee
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.8658 (863rd)

Josh Johnson's Junior Year Highlights: HERE (Hudl)

Frame: As you can tell by his measurables, Johnson certainly provides plenty of length. He's one of the taller corners in the class thanks to some incredibly long legs, and his wingspan is noticeable as well. He's not super lanky, but will need to add some weight. That being said, he's got the base frame to easily pack on more, and already has some upper body muscle tone.

Athleticism: Johnson has some solid open field speed, and it's about on par with what you would expect from a tall and lanky-ish corner. Play strength does stands out whenever he gets involved in a tackle. As far as other athletic intangibles go, his vertical is about average, and his footwork/lateral agility is good but can be better.

Instincts: When watching Johnson's film, something that stands out very quickly is that he is a cerebral player. He's extremely good at reading the quarterback's eyes, and his ability to diagnose the play is upper tier. In fact, he's also good at disguising his coverage to bait quarterbacks into making throws that he can easily make plays on. It also helped that he has great timing with his breaks when sitting in zone coverage. While not a super physical corner early in the play, contact doesn't seem to bother him, and he is a very hard hitter. Against the run, he does a good job at choosing the right pursuit angle to help him get downhill relatively quickly.

Polish: Because of his skill set, Johnson excels in flat zone coverage on either side of the field, especially on the boundary. He plays almost exclusively in off-man coverage with an outside shade, though you'd like to see him use his size and play strength to press more. While his mental timing on breaks is good, they can sometimes be inconsistent because of his average agility. He's got limited film in man-to-man coverage, but he seems to do well in man on deeper routes. Johnson leads with the shoulder on the majority of his tackle attempts, but does a good job at both wrapping up and not over/under pursuing when playing downhill.

Bottom Line: Overall, this is another underrated secondary pickup for Louisville. Johnson will certainly have to continue to develop from an athleticism standpoint, but cerebral 6-foot-3 corners aren't exactly a dime a dozen. He might not be a year one contributor, but he has a potentially very high ceiling once he gets on campus.

(Photo of Josh Johnson: Jeremy Holtzapfel via The Ironton Tribune)

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