3-star LB Trevell Johnson commits to Texas

The Texas Longhorns picked up a key in-state target as rising inside linebacker Trevell Johnson made his pledge to the Texas Longhorns.

The three-star linebacker from Arlington Martin comes to Texas as the No. 21 player at the position and the No. 65 player in the state and fills a big need in the class. In 2021, the state produced just one inside linebacker in the top 500 players in the country, so for Texas to land one early in the cycle is big.

Johnson turned in two highly-productive seasons at Martin, earning All-District honors as a sophomore and improved on his performance in his second season as a starter. After two seasons as a starter, Johnson held offers from 18 schools, including the Baylor Bears and the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Recruiting contributor Cody Daniel breaks down his game:

At 6’0 and 200 pounds, Johnson looks the part of a safety on film, though he’ll almost certainly build upon that before he ultimately arrives in Austin. In any case, Johnson being a bit undersized at linebacker doesn’t prevent him from excelling as a dominant force. He’s a forceful striker and plays with an aggressive nature, especially going downhill, which has helped him amass 208 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, and five sacks throughout the past two seasons. Simply put, Johnson just has a knack for finding the ball and attacking, and though that’s certainly a strength of his, he also displays the ability to be patient at times and allow a play to develop before breaking free from a black to get involved on a play.

Johnson’s film doesn’t provide much evidence of his ability in pass coverage, and he can afford to improve his lateral quickness a bit and simply reacting, but with more than a year and a half before his first game as a Longhorn, he’ll have plenty of time to develop physically.

It’s quite possible that Johnson ultimately fills the role of a hybrid linebacker like DeMarvion Overshown.

Johnson is now the first defensive commitment under new defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatjoowski and inside linebackers coach Jeff Choate. He is the fifth member of the 2022 class and the second defensive player, joining four-star cornerback Jaylon Gilbeau from Port Arthur Memorial.

This marks the second consecutive year that Texas landed a linebacker from Martin, as Johnson joins friend and former teammate Morice Blackwell on the Forty Acres. Johnson is also the second Saturday pledge for the Longhorns after the big-time commitment of five-star quarterback Maalik Murphy earlier in the afternoon.