The early signing period for football prospects in the Class of 2020 is upon us, and Penn State is expected to bring in a larger-than-usual class throughout the day. On the Penn State blog today, I’ll be breaking down each of the signees. Here is my scouting report on Canadian tight end Theo Johnson.
Penn State tight end prospect Theo Johnson. PHOTO BY PENN STATE ATHLETICS
Height: 6-6
Weight: 242
School: Holy Names HS (Windsor, Ont.)
Projected position: Tight end
Rating: Four stars by Rivals.com, 247sports and ESPN
Other offers: Alabama, Arkansas, Boston College, Florida State, Georgia, Iowa, LSU, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, N.C. State, Ohio State, Oregon, South Carolina, Syracuse, West Virginia.
Projection: Johnson played Canadian rules football in high school, but that didn’t deter analysts from dubbing him one of the best tight end prospects in the class, and he was a coveted recruit for penn State. He’ll be in the mix immediately because of his sheer size and athleticism. He plays the ball well, though, and he displays tremendous hands. He’s only going to get better once he gets more advanced coaching, and his performances in national camps only got better once he started facing the best competition. There are questions about his blocking, considering he didn’t get asked to do it much in high school. But, he was willing when he was called upon to do so, and he showed promising technique. Johnson is going to be the next in a strong line of Penn State tight ends, and a year working behind Pat Freiermuth in 2020 only promises to push him in that direction.
Donnie Collins has been a member of The Times-Tribune sports staff for nearly 20 years and has been the Penn State football beat writer for Times-Shamrock Newspapers since 2004. The Penn State Football Blog covers Nittany Lions, Big Ten and big-time college football news from Beaver Stadium to the practice field, the bowl game to National Letter of Intent Signing Day. Contact: dcollins@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5368; @DonnieCollinsTT
