Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1338415
42 MARCH 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER Caleb Johnson doesn't remember much of his father 's playing days in the Arena Football League, NFL Europe and even a brief stint in the NFL. He was only a couple years old. But Aaron Johnson remembers the handful his young son was. He played for the Frankfurt Galaxy in Germany, and Caleb spent a couple weeks there to see his dad. Caleb has been told the story that while in the Galaxy's locker room, there were dozens of Gatorade cups on a table for the players to drink during halftime. Caleb didn't get the memo and gulped them all down. "I hear about funny stuff like that, but barely remember," Caleb John- son said with a laugh. "I just know that I had a very, very good time." Johnson was born in Noblesville, Ind., in 2002 and moved around a good bit as a toddler with his father carving out a professional football career. His father, a Ball State alum, spent time on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad and played for the Colorado Crush of the AFL in addi- tion to his year in Germany. Fast forward 18 years, and Aaron's oldest child has begun his college football career with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Ocala (Fla.) Trin- ity Catholic four-star standout feels that his father 's tutelage was instru- mental to where he is today. "It definitely gave me a boost in development compared to anyone else I know," the younger Johnson said. "He's like an O-line guru; he knows a ton of information about technique. He does all he can to help me, and he's done great." Last summer, three-star offensive lineman Austin Barber, who would go on to sign with the Florida Ga- tors, spent some time with the John- son family to train with them. John- son has offensive line teammates who also signed with other Power Five schools — Jake Slaughter with Florida and Garner Langlo with Au- burn. Aaron Johnson is in the film room and on the field training these players, but even with Caleb off to Notre Dame, the coaching won't stop. His younger two sons, Dominic and Zach, will be in the 10th and ninth grades, respectively, this fall and have bright futures ahead of them on the gridiron — but the best athlete in the family might be his daughter Elayna, who was a part of the 2020 state championship volley- ball team at Trinity Catholic. ✦ CALEB JOHNSON OFFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-6 · 275 TRINITY CATHOLIC H.S. OCALA, FLA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 31* 52 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 30* 56 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 29* 45 * Ranked as OT STATISTICS • Paved the way for Trinity Catholic to rush for 5,016 yards and 53 touchdowns during his junior and senior seasons combined (23 games). NOTABLE • Born on March 17, 2002. • 2020 MaxPreps Preseason Florida All-State high school second-team offense. • 2019 Ocala Star-Banner all-county first-team offense. • 2018 Ocala Star-Banner all-county second- team offense. • 2020 Hall Of Fame World Bowl camp offensive line MVP. • His father, Aaron, played college football at Ball State. He had a brief stint with the Kansas City Chiefs and lined up on the offensive line for a few years in the Arena Football League — including stints with the Colorado Crush and the Indiana Firebirds. • Grew up in Fort Wayne, Ind., before moving to Ocala, Fla., going into his sophomore year of high school. • His sister Elayna was part of Trinity Catholic's 3A Florida state championship volleyball team. • Intends to major in business. RECRUITMENT • Offered by Notre Dame last March, but com- mitted to Auburn two months later. • Kept in touch with Fighting Irish offensive line coach Jeff Quinn sparingly during the sum- mer and early in the fall, but contact picked up in November. • Committed to Quinn and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees during a Zoom call on Nov. 19, 2020. • Also held scholarship offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Penn State and others. • Enrolled early at Notre Dame in February. 2021 PROJECTION • Johnson is likely to redshirt as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT Trinity Catholic offensive line coach Brian Lane: "Caleb is just a grinder. He comes from a championship pedigree; his dad played in the NFL. He knows what it takes to get to the premier level. He's always working on his craft. "When you meet with Caleb, he's a quiet guy but leads by example. He goes out there, gets to work and takes coaching very well. He doesn't get offended when you try to help him improve his game. He's an extremely hard worker. "He's versatile. He can play anywhere. He might be more comfortable on the left side, but we've used him on the right side too." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "He certainly has the length, quick feet and overall athletic ability you look for in a left tackle. Caleb was one of the more impressive players I had seen in the center part of Florida. "His potential is through the roof. He does a good job of playing angles, and he's quick and athletic enough to effectively block out on the second level. He shows good lateral mobility and can effectively slide outside to cut off edge rushers." Father-Son Relationship Has Been Vital To Caleb Johnson's Development The son of a former professional football player, Johnson — the No. 52 player in Florida and No. 31 offensive tackle nationally per Rivals — had a leg up on other players due to the tutelage his father provided. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM