East Carolina Football Recruiting: Delando Johnson visiting Toledo
The Toledo Rockets are hosting several recruits this weekend on official visits, and one of them is Wake Forest Demon Deacons and East Carolina Pirates target Delando Johnson. The high-end, three-star outside linebacker currently holds eight offers, and the visit to Toledo is the only official visit currently on tap for the top 30 2013 OLB.
Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE
Both Wake Forest and East Carolina are among his offers, and he also holds offers from Boston College, Illinois, Buffalo, Ohio, and Youngstown State. UNC has also shown some interest in the Towson, Maryland prospect.
Johnson can play at both safety and OLB and was a huge playmaker as a junior with ten sacks, four fumbles forced, and four fumble recoveries. The 6’2″, 190 pound defensive star can run a 4.6 forty, and it is a surprise to see that he holds just a few offers from BCS schools.
The Calvert Hall College standout could be getting some more offers in the near future, if a recent visit from a Vanderbilt coach is any indication. His athleticism, length, pass rushing ability, versatility, and fluidity in coverage are all plus points for the top ten Maryland recruit. One of the best 500 prospects in the class, Johnson has a couple of ACC schools looking at him in BC and WF.
I like his speed and ability in pursuit, and it outweighs his lack of strength and downhill run stopping ability. Johnson is a pretty underrated recruit, and he would immediately be the biggest catch in this class for Wake Forest.
East Carolina already has three outside linebacker commits in this class, but Johnson is better than two of those players. I would still place Devaris Brunson over Johnson, but the gap between them is very narrow. With 20 commits for the Pirates, it seems like Wake Forest might actually have the better shot at nabbing Johnson. But at this point, the three-star prospect is officially visiting Toledo and the odds are in the Rockets favor.
You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.