Tennessee Football Recruiting: 5 Remaining 2017 Prospects to Watch for Vols

He’s only a three-star on Rivals, but with the losses of Derek Barnett, Danny O’Brien, and Corey Vereen, Butch Jones’s focus down the stretch has clearly been about beefing up the Tennessee football defensive line.

And quality bodies are a big thing.

Johnson is down to South Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee. Although most sources indicate that the Gamecocks are the favorite with the Hokies following, Tennessee still is in as strong of contention as those two.

However, a three-star who the Vols have to fight for is why he is No. 5 on this list. Still, Johnson brings a lot to the table.

Johnson is a two-sided athlete who played running back and defensive end. He showed amazing shiftiness and breakaway speed as a running back, which translates to being an elite pass-rusher as a defensive end.

On the defensive side, Johnson was just that.

The 6’3″ 227-pound prospect was very agile and had rare strength for his slim size. He is definitely a weak side rusher, but he has the potential to be the next Vereen if he commits to Tennessee.

So Butch Jones and Co. would definitely like to bring him to Knoxville. The hard part is Will Muschamp has more to sell with his defensive brilliance, and Justin Fuente has more of a future to sell.