Nashville OL picks up big SEC offer

Nashville (Tennessee) Montgomery Bell Academy offensive lineman Wesley Johnson may not impress too many college coaches on paper. Though he stands at 6-foot-5, his 250-pound weight is not exactly prototypical. But try telling that to the defenders he regularly pancakes. This past weekend, Johnson showed off his abilities to the Auburn coaches first-hand, and promptly picked up a scholarship offer.

"I went down [to Auburn] and met Coach Nall and went through all of the drills and everything," Johnson said. "I went through the one on ones and I guess I did pretty well so they offered me."

On the field for the MBA Big Red, Johnson's competitive attitude in the trenches is what sets him apart and that was clearly evident to the Auburn staff.

"He said I competed real well just from a mental aspect and he said I did well in the one-on-ones," he said. "I was pretty pumped when I got the offer. It's Auburn so it's a top tier SEC school. You can't get better than that."

Johnson, who has been working to gain weight during the summer, was measured at 6-foot-5.5 and 248 pounds by the Auburn staff. He hopes to pack on a few more pounds before the start of two-a-days.

"It's been good but I'm still trying to pack on as much as I can," he said. "I guess 255 is my goal (by the season). 255 or 260 would be ideal."

The Auburn offer adds to Johnson's list that already includes Vanderbilt, Duke, Kentucky, Memphis and Middle Tennessee State. However, the hometown Commodores remain on top for Johnson.

"Vanderbilt is still my favorite but Auburn is definitely way up there," he said. "Vanderbilt is still my favorite but I'm still definitely considering Auburn."

Johnson's final camp before the start of the season will be at Vanderbilt next weekend. Other than that, Johnson is continuing to lead his defending state championship team in its 6:30 am workouts.

"We're looking great," he said. "You can definitely notice the improvement over the summer. Some guys are starting to step up into the roles that were left by the seniors."