We go from the Georgia pipeline right back to the Florida pipeline, and this is the South Florida pipeline. Straight out of Miami, Deandre Johnson filled in at outside linebacker for Tennessee football last year after Jonathan Kongbo suffered a season-ending injury.
In limited time, Johnson managed three tackles for a loss and two sacks. This year, though, he figures to become one of the full-time starters as an edge rusher at outside linebacker, and that should allow him to burst onto the scene as an elite player.
Johnson showed potential even his first year on Rocky Top under Butch Jones with two tackles for a loss and a sack while lining up at defensive end in garbage time. However, Jeremy Pruitt’s 3-4 system is the perfect design for him given his size at 6’3″ 241 pounds. Being acclimated to the system for a year should allow him to thrive as well.
Fellow South Florida prospect Kivon Bennett is threatening Johnson’s spot after a very good spring, and the same holds true with California prospect Jordan Allen. But Johnson is the one who made the list, as he remains the one experienced player who had significant action in the system last year.