When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from 1-10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
*****
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
*****
THE SITUATION
Caleb Johnson has tremendous speed as the Greenville, Tex., prospect was clocked at 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash. That athletic ability was big for Oklahoma when it landed his commitment in July as the Sooners are looking for speedy players all across their defense.
But Johnson also really wants to play wide receiver at the next level and that did not seem like an option at Oklahoma, and so Johnson backed off his pledge to the Big 12 power in recent days.
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M and many others are pursuing Johnson, who had filled Oklahoma's final defensive back slot for the class. After Johnson committed, the Sooners moved on from other top targets like Prophet Brown.
Johnson’s speed in Oklahoma’s secondary could have been a major bonus to what the Sooners are trying to do on that side of the ball. But his preference for playing offense ironically will draw him to another school as the Sooners start over again looking for another top-notch defensive back to fill out this class.
LOCAL REACTION
“Johnson may sting as much because of what Oklahoma gambled on him the first time around as the loss of him as a player. Johnson is a skilled athlete who Oklahoma kind of won over to the idea of playing corner, but it seems as though he had some second thoughts as time went on.
"But when he made his original pledge to Oklahoma, he essentially took a spot that OU had earmarked for a few different players, including Prophet Brown. When Johnson committed, those players lost their spots. Johnson is a quality athlete that could have turned into a good corner, but the amount of sting will have a lot to do with how they replace him and if they can find a player similar to players they passed on." - Josh McCuistion, SoonerScoop.com
Sting Factor: 5
NATIONAL REACTION
“As one of the earlier commits in this class, this stings a bit especially since Johnson can play offense or defense. His preference is offense and he has the skill to impact as a wide receiver, but OU isn’t having any problems landing elite WRs. As a potential defensive back, he hurts a bit more.” — Mike Farrell, National Recruiting Director, Rivals.com
Sting Factor: 7
