LSU football not the favorite to land 4-star RB with strong Tigers connection
By Zach Ragan
LSU football is one of many schools pursuing 2021 four-star running back LJ Johnson.
Rivals recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman recently “ranked the contenders” for 2021 four-star running back LJ Johnson and I was shocked to not see LSU football at the top of his list.
Instead, Spiegelman had Texas listed as the favorite to land Johnson, followed by Oklahoma, Texas A&M and, finally, LSU.
Johnson, 5-foot-10/204 lbs from Cypress, TX (Cy-Fair), is rated by 247Sports as the No. 4 player in the state of Texas and the No. 3 running back in the nation. 247Sports also rates Johnson as the No. 30 overall player in the nation.
I expected to see LSU at the top of Spiegelman’s list mostly because of Johnson’s strong connections to the Tigers.
Johnson, who is originally from Franklin, LA, is the son of former LSU defensive tackle Johnathan Johnson. He also has other family members that have attended LSU.
While it’s not surprising that Texas is a big factor for the dynamic running back, I’d still be very surprised if Johnson didn’t end up in Baton Rouge.
Not only does Johnson have the strong family connection to the Tigers, but he also models his game after former LSU running back Leonard Fournette — one of the best college football running backs of all time.
Johnson told Rivals in late February “I love Leonard Fournette. I like his style. I don’t do to many moves so I’m a downhill back. I like his game.”
LSU legacy, from Louisiana and loves Leonard Fournette? It’s hard to imagine Johnson not being a Tiger.
I expected Ed Orgeron and his staff to ramp up their pursuit of Johnson in the coming weeks/months. Johnson isn’t just one of the best 2021 running backs in the nation — he’s one of the best 2021 players in the nation. And the Tigers definitely want him in the boat.
247Sports midland region recruiting analyst Gabe Brooks describes Johnson as a player who “wins one-on-one battles at second level with leverage and strength”. He also said Johnson “gets downhill in a hurry”.
Next. The way recruits view LSU is why the Tigers will dominate college football. dark
LSU currently has five commits to their 2021 recruiting class.