Will Johnson

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If I'm not mistaken wasn't Johnson on the sidelines of the Gopher/NMSU game this past Saturday?

I am going to an Osseo game in a couple of weeks. I'll be sure to wear my Gopher Football hat and stand by where the players exit the field. Maybe that will help.......
 

I hear Will's main goal is to play TE in college. Have the Gophers told him where they see him? With that size in high school and with good feet and hands, then kid sounds like a great future LT candidate.
 

I have heard the same thing--Auburn still wanted him when he was there earlier this summer, but as a tackle. I'd guess he wants to hear that he'll be given a shot to play TE before he gets moved.
 

I don't understand the need to hear what you want to hear. The facts are pretty plain that he will end up on the OL, so why fight it? It is a certainty, sooner or later. He is already 250 lbs. and will be at least 280 by the time he graduates college, without even trying to gain weight, just through the natural growth and muscle gain process. I've never met the kid, but I've spoken with people who have and they all say that he has a huge frame. It will be impossible to keep him at a weight conducive to playing a skill position. Further, he is quite slow by NCAA TE standards. He just needs to accept that his future lies on the offensive line and move on. I guess he could make a niche as a blocking TE, but the money, glory, and fame are much better on the OL.
 


Apparently you haven't dealt with a lot of 17 & 18 y/o kids recently. :)
 






Ben Utecht ran a 4.80 and I think he worked out pretty well for us.
 

I would be shocked with Mississippi. Seems strange they are even in the race.

Iowa would not shock me, but I still don't see it.

He does not look 250 in person. He carries that weight really well. At the same time, I don't think it is a foregone conclusion he will be 300 pounds.

I think he is going to Minnesota and he will be a great representative for the program, no matter how it works out on the field.
 

GVBadger said:
I would be shocked with Mississippi. Seems strange they are even in the race.

Iowa would not shock me, but I still don't see it.

He does not look 250 in person. He carries that weight really well. At the same time, I don't think it is a foregone conclusion he will be 300 pounds.

I think he is going to Minnesota and he will be a great representative for the program, no matter how it works out on the field.
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I'm never shocked when I see someone considering Ole Miss:

http://www.thesportsbank.net/core/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/ole-miss.jpg
 

From what I hear, the scenery around "The Grove" is second to none. Can't say I blame the kid for considering it.
 



I think his coach or someone has a connection to Ole Miss.
 

(1) I think he spent the early years of his life in Mississippi.

(2) If anyone here has ever seen the Ol' Miss campus, you'd probably understand its allure. I was there this summer and it is one of the most gorgeous campuses I have ever seen. Oxford, Mississippi, is basically the college and college alone, so it's "all Ol' Miss all the time."

I had to laugh when I saw the campus because one of the first things I thought about was the debates in here on campus atmosphere, as in Wisconsin v. Iowa v. Minnesota. Having been on those three campuses, I can readily say that they are all minor league when compared to what I saw at Ol' Miss and I saw Ol' Miss when no one was around. I can only imagine what it's like on Gameday in the fall.
 

He did not live in MS, he moved to MN from TN when he was 3 yr's old.
 

Thanks sonny. I'll always admit when I'm wrong. I swear I read something about living in Mississippi on the board, but I am obviously mistaken.
 

I rewatched our last game the other day and when coach Kill went down they showed a shot of Will standing there with a shocked expression on his face, he didnt look anywhere near 250 lbs, but who knows.
 

For informational purposes, I did a little research on the current starting TEs in the Big Ten. Height/weight/40 as a recruit is taken from Rivals, while current height/weight is taken from each team’s official roster. Weight gain expressed a percentage.

Illinois – Evan Wilson (So.)
Then: 6’6”, 225, 4.69
Now: 6’6”, 250 (+11.1%)

Indiana – Ted Bolser (RS So.)
Then: 6’5”, 212, 4.63
Now: 6’6”, 245 (+17.5%)

Iowa – Brad Herman (Sr.)
Then: 6’5”, 220, 4.59
Now: 6’5”, 255 (+15.9%)

Michigan – Kevin Koger (Sr.)
Then: 6’4”, 235, 4.65
Now: 6’4”, 258 (+9.8%)

Michigan St. – Brian Linthicum (RS Sr.)
Then: 6’4”, 217, 4.72
Now: 6’5”, 245 (+12.9%)

Minnesota – Eric Lair (Sr.)
Then: 6’3”, 210, 4.56
Now: 6’3”, 232 (+10.5%)

Nebraska – Kyler Reed (RS Jr.)
Then: 6’3”, 204, 4.5
Now: 6’3”, 230 (+12.7%)

Northwestern – Drake Dunsmore (RS Sr.)
Then: 6’3”, 209, N/A
Now: 6’3”, 235 (+12.4%)

Ohio St. – Jake Stoneburner (RS Jr.)
Then: 6’6”, 223, 4.46
Now: 6’5”, 245 (+9.9%)

Penn St. – Andrew Szczerba (RS Sr.)
Then: 6’6”, 265, 4.8
Now: 6’6”, 266 (+0.4%)

Purdue – Gabe Holmes (So. – Grayshirt?)
Then: 6’6”, 210, 4.8
Now: 6’5”, 247 (17.6%)

Wisconsin – Jake Byrne (RS Sr.)
Then: 6’5”, 240, 4.6
Now: 6’4”, 260 (+8.3%)

It is remarkable how consistent the weight gain is among nearly every player. Almost every player gained somewhere between 8 and 18 percent of their HS body weight. It is also remarkable how close the mean and median weight gains are:

Mean weight gain: 11.6%
Median weight gain: 11.75%

If Johnson were on the field and starting right now, he would currently be the tallest, and tied for the ninth-heaviest, tight end in the conference. Keep in mind that nearly all of these players have been on campus for 4 or 5 years, meaning they are mostly 22-23 years old. Johnson is, presumably, 17 or 18 years old. Though none of the 40 times listed are accurate, notice also that he would be tied for the slowest 40 time in the conference among starting TEs. Further, given the fact that some players fudged their height (unless they somehow shrunk when they got to campus), it stands to reason that they may have fudged their weight as well. Johnson might be, too, but it doesn’t appear so from the film I’ve seen and the people I’ve spoken to. He appears to be a legitimate 245.

At any rate, if we take all of the above at face value, and assume an average weight gain for Johnson, here are his stats:

Now: 6’7”, 245, 4.8
2015 (RS Jr.): 6’7”, 273-274 (mean-median)

Jim Kleinsasser is considered exceptionally heavy, even for an NFL TE, and he is 6’3”, 272.

Of course, it is possible that he could be like Szczerba and not really gain any weight. However, that is unlikely and, at any rate, Szczerba is not a TE to aspire to. It’d probably be more accurate to call him a sixth starting lineman for Penn St.

Keep in mind, also, that all of the above players are training for speed as well as strength, thus limiting their growth. If Johnson set his mind to becoming an elite LT, and trained primarily for strength, size, and quickness like they do, he could easily be well over 300 by the time he’s a senior.
 


I agree with Dpo about it pretty much being a foregone conclusion that this kid will end up playing OL. However, I do think his desire to play TE will only serve to help us in this process. We use a ton of 2 TE formations and we often have 3 TEish kind of players on the field. Like I said, I don't think he ends up playing there, but if he is really looking to play TE, the U is a TE dominant offense.

On a side note, for the people wondering about Ole Miss, it's an amazing campus and the known for having the best looking girls in the SEC. I've spent a bit of time on that campus and it was amazing. I can see the draw.
 

Bob, as you probably read on this thread, I visited the Ole Miss campus this summer and was blown away. Can only imagine how much that place is on fire on game day in the fall.

Of the many campuses I've been on, the only one I think that compares to Ole Miss is Duke.
 

Was it Osseo's HC that said it should be every MN HS coach's goal to send D1 players to the U?
 

RoyalGopher said:
Was it Osseo's HC that said it should be every MN HS coach's goal to send D1 players to the U?
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I think you're correct, but unfortunately for us in this case, HS coaches only have so much sway over a player. I'm not saying they should have more sway, but I think Will would be a great pickup for the Gophers.
 

Last week I heard he's going to Auburn via my niece's boyfriend's cousin who is Will's close personal friend.

I'd love to see Johnson at the U regadless of what position he'll play. Spaeth played TE his whole career. Though he was somewhat of a 3rd tackle he still made some big plays in the passing game. Perhaps Johnson could follow in his footsteps and become the second 6-7 home-grown TE at the U to win the Mackey Award.
 

My memory is often cloudy due to barley and hops, but I seem to remember the Steelers (or maybe it was the Ravens) had a pretty good TE who was about 275 or so.
 

Troy McClure said:
Last week I heard he's going to Auburn via my niece's boyfriend's cousin who is Will's close personal friend.

I'd love to see Johnson at the U regadless of what position he'll play. Spaeth played TE his whole career. Though he was somewhat of a 3rd tackle he still made some big plays in the passing game. Perhaps Johnson could follow in his footsteps and become the second 6-7 home-grown TE at the U to win the Mackey Award.
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Auburn is not even in his top 3???
http://minnesota.scout.com/a.z?s=176&p=8&c=1&nid=5447900
 

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