Should A.J. Johnson Be Getting More Attention?
By Zach Ragan
Nov 24, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers player A.J. Johnson (45) scores a touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Volunteer fans know A.J. Johnson, and they know him well.
But outside of Tennessee the junior linebacker is receiving a relatively small amount of attention.
Yes, he was listed as a top 50 draft prospect (assuming he goes pro after his junior season) by Mel Kiper, but aside from that the talk surrounding Johnson has been little.
Johnson has been named as a first team All-SEC selection by several publications, including Athlon Sports and Phil Steele. He was also voted as a first team All-SEC selection by 243 members of the media at SEC Media Days.
With that being said, I still don’t think Johnson is receiving the proper praise and attention.
Johnson had one of the best seasons for a linebacker in the nation last season — as a sophomore!
The Georgia native accumulated 138 tackles (which led the SEC, fourth in the nation) including one sack and 8.5 tackles for loss. He also recovered a fumble.
A.J. had several monster games, a 21 tackle performance against Dan Mullen’s Mississippi State squad and 14 tackles against Kentucky in the season finale. Those are just a couple of the highlights from the 2012 season.
For the sake of comparison, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o (a Heisman finalist) finished the season with 113 tackles, in one more game than Johnson.
Te’o also had one sack on the season, to go along with 5.5 tackles for loss.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Te’o does hold one major edge over Johnson — he had seven interceptions to Johnson’s zero.
Now I’m not quite sure seven interceptions should propel Te’o to Heisman candidacy over Johnson, but it appears that is exactly what happened. Even though Johnson averaged nearly three more tackles a game than Te’o
Of course there’s one more thing we’re leaving out of the equation.
Johnson’s offensive advantage.
A.J. “The Beast” Johnson contributed six rushing touchdowns this past season.
Now when I see a guy that led the SEC, the best defensive conference in the nation, in tackles, led his team in rushing touchdowns, finished fourth in the NCAA in tackles per game and had 14 tackles against the eventual national champions, I have a hard time understanding why Johnson wasn’t on that stage in New York as a nominee.
Johnson managed all of that last season as a sophomore. There’s no telling what he could end up doing this season.
Vol fans need to take it in this season, because it may be Johnson’s last in Knoxville.
The NFL will certainly be calling if he has a season anywhere close to what he had in 2012. College analysts and voters may overlook Johnson, but I can guarantee that NFL scouts aren’t overlooking him.
A.J. Johnson is one of the best players in not only the SEC, but the whole country.
It’s a bold statement, but the numbers don’t lie.
For more on the Vols make sure to follow along on Twitter @ZachAFT and @AllforTennessee