Caleb

Johnson

Johnson (6'0/235) entered his name into the transfer portal in mid-September after playing sparingly in the Longhorns’ first three games of the season. According to Pierson the expectation is that Johnson, who visited UCLA unofficially while at Fullerton College but was not offered, will commit to Chip Kelly’s program during his time on campus. Stay tuned.

Johnson (6'0/235) signed on with the Longhorns as a three-star recruit out of the JUCO ranks this past winter, enrolling early in Austin and taking part in spring practice. Per 247Sports’ Taylor Estes, the junior linebacker has felt somewhat out of place since landing at Texas. Playing time (or lack thereof) presumably hasn’t helped matters, as Johnson has registered just one tackle through three games played.

Johnson currently plays at Fullerton College in California, but he’ll make the move to Iowa in 2019 to join the Cyclones’ linebacking room. He ranks as the second best outside backer in 247 Sports composite rankings, and 51st among all junior college players. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Johnson isn’t guaranteed to be an immediate contributor -- few are -- but if he plays to the potential he’s shown at Fullerton, he should compete for playing time in 2019.

Johnson committed to Iowa State in the summer, but flipped to the Longhorns after watching Texas LB Gary Johnson find success as a JUCO transfer. Texas had a high priority at finding veteran linebackers this signing period with multiple defensive leaders departing after the season’s end. Johnson (6'1/215) comes from Fullerton Community College in California and is the No. 39 overall JUCO recruit. Johnson is expected to compete for playing time in 2019.