Elite JUCO LB Caleb Johnson says he would fit well in Texas’ defense

Adding another defensive standout at the linebacker position still seems to be a priority for the Texas Longhorns at this juncture in this recruiting cycle.

The Longhorns will have two primary starters from their linebacking core departing after this season in Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler, which makes it imperative that defensive coordinator Todd Orlando beefs up that section of the defense throughout this recruiting cycle.

Highly talented linebacker Caleb Johnson from Fullerton College is a player the Texas staff would love to see in burnt orange and immediately contributing on defense next season.

The JUCO product, who was once an Iowa State commit, was presented an offer from Texas in early August and has seen a spark in his recruitment since then. Johnson and others around him always knew that he had the ability to be a player of pure dominance at a high level, it just took some overall growth and tough grind to get him to this point.

“I mean I didn’t have the [attention] but almost everyone knew I had the potential, my mind just wasn’t right,” Johnson told BON. “But after high school I was just a lot more focused and it feels good to have my work paid off.”

Texas is obviously a school that is gunning for Johnson’s services, but he also sees how the entire atmosphere in Austin could be beneficial to him at the end of the day.

“Texas is very high on me,” Johnson said.

“The platform I would have playing on that team along with the city and people surrounding it,” Johnson added in regards to what about Texas stands out to him.

Johnson believes that he would be an ideal fit in Todd Orlando’s defensive scheme. Playing straightaway is on Johnson’s list of things to do at whatever campus he decides to step on.

“[I’d] fit very well,” Johnson said, when asked how he would fit Orlando’s defense. “I think rover is the perfect position for me... I’m planning on starting wherever I go.”

While Texas holds all three total Crystal Ball predictions, per 247Sports, Johnson is still heavily interested in the Oregon program. Johnson’s a guy that was raised on the west coast, so it’s not hard to see why he grew up liking the Ducks, especially in his years as an adolescent.

When asked how much interest he had in Oregon, Johnson replied, “Definitely a lot! I’ve liked Oregon since I was a kid.”

Johnson hasn’t selected a specific date for when he wants to conclude his recruitment, but he does have a general idea of when he’d like to make a decision.

“Most likely sometime after my visit to Oregon, if not December,” Johnson said.

The Fullerton College product will take an official visit to Eugene this weekend for the Arizona State game.

Up to this point, Texas has a total of three linebackers committed in De’Gabriel Floyd, David Gbenda, and Marcus Tillman Jr. Johnson, of course would add experience to that talented core, and more specifically, a potential day-one starter.

At 6’1, 215 pounds, Johnson is ranked as the No. 37 JUCO prospect in the nation and as the No. 3 outside linebacker at that level, per the 247Sports Composite.