by Bill Seals
If it weren’t for an injury last fall during his junior season, a Class of 2017 defensive lineman might have many more Power-5 offers than the one he has from Iowa State right now.
Apopka (Fla.) Wekiva senior Dante Johnson has battled back from a torn ACL to have a strong senior season. The 6-foot-4, 252-pound Johnson may have fallen off the radar of other P5 programs, but he hasn’t left I-State’s board.
“We’re doing really well,” said Johnson. “I like the chemistry that I’ve built with the coaching staff and like everything up there. I like how the coaches keep in contact with me. Coach (Matt) Campbell has texted me quite a few times and the whole coaching staff like communicating with me.
“I’ll be taking an official visit pretty soon. I don’t have a specific date yet and want to get in touch with Coach Campbell before anything. It will probably be shortly after my season.”
Several members of Campbell’s staff have been in touch this season and have sold him on the idea of becoming a part of the rebuild in Ames.
“All of the coaches are telling me that if I come up there, I can become part of a very nice program and set a real nice foundation,” Johnson said. “They like my leadership mentality and think I can help get everything right for the program to be better.”
In addition to his one from ISU, Johnson has offers from Coastal Carolina, Georgia State and Central Florida. He’s also hearing from coaches at Arkansas and Kentucky.
If he inks with the Cyclones next February, Johnson said he would be pegged to play on the line.
“They want me to play the defensive side of the ball, especially the end or tackle positions,” he said. “Coach Campbell played defensive end and said he likes how I handle myself when I play that position.”
It’s been a remarkable recovery for Johnson, who entered the 2015 with a lot of hype only to see his season end and several recruiting opportunities go by the wayside.
“I was ranked around 41st in the Orlando Sentinel Super 60 and had dropped because I had torn my ACL last year,” he said. “I was number 16 last year and as things progressed I dropped since I wasn’t playing. That’s another thing that Iowa State likes is that I came back strong in my recovery and am playing real hard out there.”
If it weren’t for an injury last fall during his junior season, a Class of 2017 defensive lineman might have many more Power-5 offers than the one he has from Iowa State right now.
Apopka (Fla.) Wekiva senior Dante Johnson has battled back from a torn ACL to have a strong senior season. The 6-foot-4, 252-pound Johnson may have fallen off the radar of other P5 programs, but he hasn’t left I-State’s board.
“We’re doing really well,” said Johnson. “I like the chemistry that I’ve built with the coaching staff and like everything up there. I like how the coaches keep in contact with me. Coach (Matt) Campbell has texted me quite a few times and the whole coaching staff like communicating with me.
“I’ll be taking an official visit pretty soon. I don’t have a specific date yet and want to get in touch with Coach Campbell before anything. It will probably be shortly after my season.”
Several members of Campbell’s staff have been in touch this season and have sold him on the idea of becoming a part of the rebuild in Ames.
“All of the coaches are telling me that if I come up there, I can become part of a very nice program and set a real nice foundation,” Johnson said. “They like my leadership mentality and think I can help get everything right for the program to be better.”
In addition to his one from ISU, Johnson has offers from Coastal Carolina, Georgia State and Central Florida. He’s also hearing from coaches at Arkansas and Kentucky.
If he inks with the Cyclones next February, Johnson said he would be pegged to play on the line.
“They want me to play the defensive side of the ball, especially the end or tackle positions,” he said. “Coach Campbell played defensive end and said he likes how I handle myself when I play that position.”
It’s been a remarkable recovery for Johnson, who entered the 2015 with a lot of hype only to see his season end and several recruiting opportunities go by the wayside.
“I was ranked around 41st in the Orlando Sentinel Super 60 and had dropped because I had torn my ACL last year,” he said. “I was number 16 last year and as things progressed I dropped since I wasn’t playing. That’s another thing that Iowa State likes is that I came back strong in my recovery and am playing real hard out there.”
