Gus Malzahn and Chad Morris have a new weapon that should make opposing defenses scared. Rivals250 wide receiver and world-class track athlete Malcolm Johnson just announced his commitment to Auburn. The Alexandria (Va.) St. Stephens & St. Agnes School star breaks down his decision to play for the Tigers.
IN HIS OWN WORDS...
“I believe in coach Burns and coach Morris and what they have in store," Johnson said. "I want to start a legacy at Auburn and make it cool to be a receiver there.
“They want to use me similar to how Sammy Watkins was used at Clemson," he said. "They want me all over the field, not as a receiver but as a weapon. They want to use me in many situations like screens, routes, jet sweeps, running the ball, anything.
“They talked about Anthony Schwartz a lot," said Johnson. "It showed me that being a football player and track athlete is capable of being done. He's like the frontrunner of the guys trying to do both and still being able to hold his own in each sport. He's doing it really big in both so that was important. He's probably going to go to the Olympics and the league.
“Coach Burns, in a nutshell, is a father figure but also is a friend," he said. "You can bond with him on and off the field and talk about anything. He's gone through the whole college recruiting thing. He's a great guy and really genuine. He cares about my well-being.”
RIVALS' REACTION...
Auburn just landed their next Anthony Schwartz. The star receiver will be junior this fall and could leave for the NFL after this season but Auburn will still have elite speed on the outside thanks to Johnson. New offensive coordinator Chad Morris has plenty of experience highlighting superior athletes at the receiver position going back to his days at Clemson and that’s one of the reasons Johnson was so excited about the opportunity to play at Auburn. Johnson is so dangerous once he gets the ball in his hands and he’ll be looking for the Auburn coaches to find ways to do just that. He can score from anywhere on the field and should end up being a factor on special teams. As a track athlete, Johnson ran the 55-meters in 6.26 seconds this past winter and the 100-meters in 10.3 seconds as a sophomore.
