Ranking the Contenders: LJ Johnson Jr.
Rivals100 running back LJ Johnson Jr. is one of the premier running backs in not only Texas but nationwide. He blends an excellent dose of power and speed, and shows it off week in and week out in a run-heavy Cy-Fair High School offense.
Johnson has made a string of visits to regional schools such as Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, and he's originally from Louisiana and has strong connections to LSU. He also visited Stanford.
Johnson was in the process of narrowing down his top schools before the coronavirus capped his spring travel plans. He has no precise timeline in place for his decision.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
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1. TEXAS
Johnson camped and earned an offer from Texas last summer and has frequented the Forty Acres quite a bit during that span. The Rivals100 running back actually squeezed in another visit at a big junior day in Austin in January, which may be showing his cards just a bit. There are several really talented running backs in Texas for 2021, and the Longhorns staff is not hiding how high Johnson is on their board. Expect Texas to remain in this one until the end.
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2. OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma has been able to get Johnson on campus as much as either of the two Texas-based schools or LSU, which is also within driving distance. Lincoln Riley has made a strong connection with the talented back and DeMarco Murray wasted no time visiting Cy-Fair High School right after taking a job on the Sooners' staff. Like Texas and Stanford, Oklahoma was able to get Johnson back in Norman right before the coronavirus ended spring visits, which is a strong sign for its chances.
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3. TEXAS A&M
The Aggies hold a slight regional advantage in this race, and that's made for an easier way to get Johnson and his family on campus. Johnson earned his offer at camp last summer and was back for several recruiting functions and games last fall. Johnson was expected back in College Station in March, but obviously those plans were canceled with the coronavirus ending all travel. Jimbo Fisher had the attention of Zach Evans last year, but came up short and has a glaring need to be filled at that position.
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4. LSU
One interesting tidbit of note in Johnson's recruitment is that his father, Johnathan Johnson, is originally from Louisiana and played defensive tackle for LSU. Like his father, the younger Johnson was born in Franklin, La., and has been attending prospect camps at LSU since his middle school days. Johnson recently took in LSU's win over Auburn last fall and had plans to be back for a junior day in March. Expect the Tigers to press hard for the legacy with strong ties to The Boot.
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5. STANFORD
Johnson made his way to Stanford right before the coronavirus travel restrictions, the family's first trip to the West Coast to date in his recruitment. The Cardinal signed E.J. Smith out of the Lone Star State last year – and edged out in-state favorite Texas A&M to do so. Both schools find themselves in the mix for Johnson moving forward.
Johnson is putting a premium on academics and Stanford is hard to beat in that area, so it'll be up to him and his family to weigh those advantages with chances to stay closer to home or play in a particular conference. Make no mistake, though - Stanford is in this race.