Johnson is a dynamic two-way starter who could easily play either RB or LB at the next level. He’s a 2x state champ with Jackson County Central, and was named First-Team All District last season. He also holds All-Conference honors in track and baseball. On his plethora of tape, Johnson proves to be a dynamic runner who can catch passes out of the backfield and is a problem in open space. He showcases fantastic contact balance, often bouncing off defenders like a pinball for extra yardage. His receiving threat can’t be understated, and that ability to hurt defenses out wide on quick releases really expands his running game too. He’s got legit upside as a returner as well. Johnson has a handful of plays on his tape where he houses both punts and kickoffs. He does some of his best running outside of the tackles, and time after time it’ll require more than one defender to bring him down. He runs hard and has the ability to make lethal cuts at the LOS to hit the open hole. I’m excited to see what he can do during his senior campaign.

On offense, Johnson made a great open-field run with multiple cuts for 24 yards. Later, he broke two tackles to pick up five yards. Weston Rowe Weston Rowe 6'7" | 270 lbs | OL Jackson County Central | 2026 State MN sprung him with a huge block to open the hole. On defense, Johnson came up strong on a quarterback sweep to make a tackle for a short gain.

Plentiful underclassmen in small school, Southern MN Jackson Country Central, which has been a lowkey fertile recruiting ground for high school athletic talent, especially wrestlers, since I’ve been playing MN middle and high school sports. It looks like the Huskies may be transitioning to a football powerhouse given the amount of size, experience, and talent on their roster going into the 2024 season, and another big-time RB name to know in the 2027 class of Minnesota is Gage Johnson Gage Johnson 5'10" | 190 lbs | RB/ATH Jackson County Central | 2027 State MN . An athletic and already experienced tailback with the Huskies, Johnson is fresh off a First Team All-Camp nod at the PRzDAK Combine Series Showcase at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, where he popped off a 4.8 40, 4.53 shuttle, and 8’9″ broad, and I’d be a fool not to mention his 245 bench press and 455 squat going into the summer, as well as the face he’s also a baseball standout with a 3.7 GPA.

As a freshman with the Huskies last fall, Johnson was used primarily as a wildcat QB and LB, showing off good vision, quick feet, and the ability to make that free defender miss and is elusive in space. Johnson does a good job of now allowing a defender to get a clean shot on him and utilizes angles and space well with the ball in hand, which, when combined with his balance and lower body strength, helps him to easily work through arm tackles and weaker tackle attempts at his lower body while remaining upright and trucking forward. He also closes quickly as a LB and is strong enough to make 1-on-1 dominant tackles in the hole and behind the LOS. I would love to see him add to his speed, as well as create more splash plays in 2023, especially as a RB. He has the tools to do it, giving me yet another reason to be bullish on the JCC 2024 roster.