Figuring it Out?
One of the early stories of fall camp has been just how impressive Oklahoma's secondary has looked. One player that will hope to build on that very early momentum in the not too distant future is Saturday night commitment Jacobe Johnson. The Mustang, Okla. product has been a known name since his freshman year for the Broncos and in spite of that obvious talent it was his junior year when things really started to take off. Below we take a look at the film of the latest Rivals250 defender, and the first from within state lines, to pick the Sooners in 2023.
SoonerScoop.com Recruiting Editor Josh McCuistion: The Sooners offered Johnson early on and it was always easy to see why with his athleticism and length. But it's this tape where it feels like Johnson's physical talent began to matchup with his production.
The big and long athlete was a basketball-focused athlete early in his career and it left a lot of questions about just where he'd fit into the game. But in his junior reel it seems as though he is beginning to embrace the physicality of the game, breaking tackles at receiver, coming up to take on a running back in the flat and becoming a more reliable tackler in space.
A good example comes at the 7:54-mark of his video where he beats Alabama wide receiver commitment Cole Adams on the block at the line of scrimmage and then makes a tackle for a one-yard gain against one of the state's best teams.
Not surprisingly at cornerback he's rarely challenged through the air but perhaps no play shows a better fit for what he can do in Norman than at the 6:51 mark of the reel above. Johnson is in zone coverage following a receiver moving inside of him, sees the running back breaking free outside of him, easily flips his hips and redirects before grabbing the interception. It's a sign of his easy athletic ability and shows some feel for playing roles similar to what Oklahoma will ask him to do.
Many basketball players get thought of as 'quicker than fast' or 'short area' types but at receiver, where Johnson was a star for Mustang in 2021, he shows off easy acceleration up field and shows the ability to separate down field with more long speed than some might expect from him.
In all, Johnson is a player whose tools are on fully display on the tape even if he is still just scratching the surface of what the future could look like. He has a lot of growth to go as a player as he'll have to continue to get better in all phases as, again, he learns the details of the position from Jay Valai and co., but the potential in Johnson is vast and in his junior year he started to show the ability to reach it.
Player Comparison: He reminds me a lot of former Sooner occasional standout Jordan Thomas. Much like Thomas, Johnson has a big skillset and will arrive to Norman with plenty of room for growth.