Notre Dame Signs OL Caleb Johnson
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have signed offensive tackle Caleb Johnson
CALEB JOHNSON PROFILE
Hometown: Ocala, Fla.
High School: Trinity Catholic
Height: 6-7
Weight: 290
IB Grade: 3.5 (Top 400 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 4.0
Offers: Notre Dame, Alabama, LSU, Florida, Auburn, Penn State, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee, Utah, Arkansas, Louisville, Kentucky, West Virginia, Missouri, Ole Miss, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Baylor, Boston College, Purdue, Duke, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Arizona State, Rutgers, Syracuse
Recruited By: Jeff Quinn
247Sports: 4-star
ESPN: 4-star
Rivals: 4-star
Composite: 4-star - No. 320 overall
FILM ANALYSIS
Johnson is tall and has a very good frame, one that should allow him to get well over 300 pounds. He's not as long as you might expect a 6-7 player to be, but he's plenty long enough to play on the edge.
The Trinity Catholic standout is a quality all-around blocker that grades out well as a run blocker and pass blocker. In the run game, he shows a good vertical burst off the line and shows good leg drive. Johnson is a waist bender and he's not incredibly flexible, but he is quick off the ball, he plays with a strong base and his lower body leg drive is impressive.
Johnson anchors well in the pass game and his combination of technique and good base allows him to re-direct well. Johnson is a smart blocker that shows a good feel for angles and leverage, and he's effective working on the second level. He doesn't shoot his hands quite as well as you'd like, but he shows a good punch, and this is certainly a teachable and correctable attribute. When he does get his hands away from his body, Johnson shows good natural power.
There are always areas where a young linemen must keep getting better, but I'm impressed with Johnson's footwork. He's an efficient blocker that maximizes the physical traits he possesses.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Notre Dame needed tackles in this class, and Johnson projects as a right tackle. He has the kind of length and toughness Notre Dame has coveted at that position. He's a bit long for your traditional guard, but he has the physicality to move inside to guard should that need arise.
JOHN GARCIA, SI ALL-AMERICAN ON JOHNSON
"A physical specimen somehow carrying 300 pounds very well, the 6-foot-7 Johnson thrives where many prep trenchman do, downhill as a run blocker. He moves well relative to his size and exhibits better bend than one would expect, with a strong first step to help execute combos, chip-and-gos or kick-outs. Johnson has taken a step forward with his kick step towards the end of his prep career, but will need to maintain a consistent anchor and maximize extension to sit on the edge in South Bend."
To comment below be sure to sign up for a FREE Disqus account, which you can get HERE.
———————
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content, our premium message board and gets you a FREE subscription to Sports Illustrated! Click on the link below for more
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!
Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes.
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel.
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook