Recruiting ROI, No. 2: Lane Johnson
Every Tuesday and Thursday, SI Sooners unveils a new installment in the Recruiting ROI series. Over the course of 10 weeks, the series examines 20 Sooners over the last 20 years who dramatically exceeded expectations in the crimson and cream.
Like so many youth football prodigies, Lane Johnson grew up with aspirations of becoming an esteemed quarterback.
But as it would turn out, he eventually had to give up on those dreams - and once he did, it made way for one of the most serpentine and unique football journeys imaginable.
Johnson grew up in tiny Groveton, Texas - population 1,057 - and didn't exactly strike anybody as a can't-miss prospect. He performed adequately on the prep circuit, earning all-district honors and all-state honorable mention for Groveton High. However, no FBS program bothered to offer Johnson, though he had walk-on interest from programs such as SMU and Tulsa.
Then 6-foot-5 and 202 pounds, Johnson had elite size but no clear direction as a football player. So he set off to spend a year at Kilgore College, where he began to bulk up and transition to tight end. After Johnson's single junior-college season, Bob Stoops and his staff were impressed enough with Johnson's athleticism to offer him a spot at Oklahoma. Upon arriving in Norman, he redshirted in 2009, but continued to put on weight and take reps on both sides of the football.
Come 2010, Johnson got his first taste of FBS action, making appearances at tight end and defensive end for the Sooners. But OU's newfound jack-of-all-trades wasn't done with his positional meandering. As a redshirt junior in 2011, Johnson tipped the scales at 296 pounds, and decided to try his hand at offensive lineman. In need of a right tackle, Bob Stoops gave Johnson the starting nod.
Once the passer, Johnson now served as the pass protection.
Over his final two seasons as a Sooner, Johnson started 23 of 26 games at tackle. As a senior, he became a third-team All-American, and began to earn looks from NFL scouts. After the 2012 season came to a close, he earned an invite to the Senior Bowl, and it was there that Johnson began a meteoric rise to the top of many draft boards. Draft analysts unanimously raved over his performance art the showcase, and he began to garner first-round consideration among NFL executives.
Then, at the NFL Combine, Johnson silenced any remaining doubters.
He notched the highest vertical jump (34 inches) of any offensive lineman, and came in second in the 40-yard dash (4.72 seconds) and broad jump (9'10"). His phenomenal showing cemented his status as a high first-round talent, and the Philadelphia Eagles validated those evaluations by selecting him fourth overall in the 2013 NFL draft.
Today, six seasons into his NFL career, Johnson may be building a Hall of Fame case. He's already got three Pro Bowl appearances, a Super Bowl title with the Eagles, and the largest contract (four years, $72 million) among all professional offensive linemen. Philadelphia lists him at a hulking 6-foot-6, 317 pounds.
Who would believe that twelve years ago, that same man was a 202-pound, unranked, zero-star quarterback prospect from small-town Texas?
To say Lane Johnson beat astronomical odds is, quite obviously, an astronomical understatement. By the conventional narrative, that former small-town quarterback has no business being the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL. But after all, what part of Lane Johnson's journey was conventional?
As Johnson continues to dominate the best pass rushers in football, Sooner Nation will continue to rejoice in their prodigal son. His dedication paved the way for one of the most unexpected and remarkable success stories in the game today.
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