Thomas Johnson to Texas, 7th 2012 Longhorn Commit

On Monday evening, Dallas Skyline WR Thomas Johnson became the second WR in three years to commit to Texas from the Metroplex powerhouse, joining sophomore-to-be Mike Davis. While Johnson never played with Davis, having transferred to Skyline before the 2010 season after starring with current BYU Cougar and former Texas commit Ross Apo at Arlington Oakridge, a private school. Johnson's commitment also keeps alive the Longhorn pipeline at Skyline, a school that has at times been hard for Texas to crack. 

One of the most electrifying players with the football in the entire state, Johnson is the first offensive skill player to join quarterback commit Connor Brewer, the first prospect to give his verbal pledge to the Longhorns in the class. Though he missed most of the 2010 season with a badly sprained ankle, Johnson still reported 18 offers and was a major national recruit. Johnson chose the Longhorns over offers from Auburn, Oregon, Oklahoma, and USC, among many others.

Johnson projects as a slot receiver at the next level and could also contribute in the return game given his explosiveness and short-area quickness. There are some concerns about Johnson's hands and he has limited experience at the wide receiver position having played quarterback as a sophomore at Oakridge. Still, he has another year to refine his technique at the wide receiver position and likely won't be asked to contribute early. If for some reason wide receiver doesn't work out for Johnson, he showed excellent striking ability as a sophomore playing in the defensive backfield.

Johnson's gamebreaking ability makes him a major pick-up in the class and a strong start to recruiting at the wide receiver position. Texas has outstanding offers at the wide receiver position to Austin High's Cayleb Jones, Crocket's Dominique Wheeler, both of whom will continue to receive interest from the Longhorns as the coaching staff looks to add an outside receiver to the mix. Last week, the Longhorns also offered Springhill (MO) WR Dorial Green-Beckham.