2028 Keystone State WR discusses breakout season, Syracuse offer

After a standout sophomore season, 2028 wide receiver Owen Johnson earned his first offer from Syracuse.

La Salle wide receiver Owen Johnson catches in the end zone for a touchdown against St. Joseph Prep in a Philadelphia Catholic League championship football game, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, at Villanova Stadium in Radnor. | Michele C. Haddon / Bucks County Courier Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

2028 wide receiver Owen Johnson hit a major milestone in his recruitment when he received his first college offer from Syracuse.

The Wyndmoor (PA) La Salle College prospect said it was a moment he would not forget in an interview with The Juice Online.

"I am very grateful and blessed to be put in this position,” Johnson said. “I'm happy to see my hard work paying off.”

Johnson reacts to his Syracuse offer

The offer came from Syracuse wide receivers coach Josh Gattis.

"I think coach Gattis is a great person and coach and can’t wait to further get to know him,” Johnson said.

While it was a short introductory phone call between the two, they did get to discuss the vision that the Orange have moving forward.

In Fran Brown’s first year as head coach of Syracuse, the Orange went 10-3 and finished 20th in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The Orange started 3-1 in the 2025 season, but stumbled after a win at Clemson when quarterback Steve Angeli went down with a season-ending injury.

Johnson thinks SU is in for a rebound in 2026

Syracuse finished 3-9, and Brown has vowed improvements in the offseason to put SU back in a position to compete for ACC championships.

Johnson believes that SU can recover this year based on a vareity of factors including several top assistant coaches joining the staff and an incoming recruiting class that is ranked the highest in program history (30th).

"I believe Syracuse has everything they need to continue improving in 2026,” Johnson said. "With strong coaching, recruiting, and player development, I think the program is moving in a positive direction.”

Johnson had a standout sophomore season

He’s coming off a season where he helped La Salle to a 13-1 record and the Class 6A State Championship. 

It was a breakout sophomore season for Johnson, who finished with 1,612 all purpose yards, and 73 receptions for 988 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was named Second Team All-Catholic after the season.

"I felt my season went very well overall,” Johnson said. "With winning states, I continued to improve each week, stayed consistent, and focused on doing whatever was needed to help my team win.”

Johnson describes himself as a balanced receiver.

"I’m a fast elusive deep threat that also provides good hands and playmaking ability,” Johnson said.

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