Texas picked up another blue chip commitment in the form of Temple (TX) four-star wide receiver Quentin Johnston on Saturday.
https://twitter.com/MrJohnston____/status/1162722684230340610
Johnston opted for the Longhorns over TCU, as they added a big-time play maker to the fold and continue the Temple to Austin pipeline. The Longhorns have done well over the past several years at Temple by signing TaQuon Graham, Davion Curtis, and Jared Wiley.
Summary
Quentin Johnston is a four-star wide receiver out of Temple high school in Temple, TX. Johnston will be heading into his second year as a starter for the Wildcats this fall, and looks to build off of a successful junior campaign. Johnston is an exceptional athlete who also competes on the Temple varsity basketball and track teams. Earlier this spring, Johnston recorded a personal record of 6’10 on the high jump and also went 22’5 on the long jump. At 6’4, 180 pounds Johnston possesses very good height for the position, but will need to continue to fill out his frame as he continues to develop. As previously noted Johnston is an exceptional athlete, and it shows up in a hurry on tape. Johnston is long striding runner, who is extremely fluid in his movements. He is able to get on defenders in a hurry — whether they are walked up or are playing 8 yards off — and is still able to get consistent separation with relative ease. Johnston shows the ability to run right past defenders, but also the ability to pull up on shorter routes and make defenders miss in space. Johnston has some uncommon elusiveness to his game, as he shows good COD and is often able to get YAC due to his ability to turn it up field. Johnston flashes good coordination and body control as he tracks the ball down the field, and he shows the ability to use his size to shield defenders away from the football. Johnston displays a good set of hands and shows the ability to pluck the football out of the air and make the tough catches. Johnston has fantastic upside as a receiver, and will be a tall task to cover early in his career at the next level. However, he will need to continue to develop as a route a runner and branch out to more limbs on the route tree. Johnston will also need to show that he is a willing and capable blocker on the perimeter, as that will be something he will have to be proficient at if he wishes to see the field regardless of where he ends up.
Final Verdict
The Longhorns are finally on the board at wide receiver for this cycle, and they got a good one in Johnston. Johnston is as intriguing of a prospect as you will find at the position this cycle, and if TCU was telling him he would see the field as early as 2020, then that lets you know a lot about Johnston’s ability and upside. Johnston is the caliber of athlete that current Longhorn John Burt was coming out of high school, which means the sky is the limit if Johnston takes to coaching and is able to avoid cases of the drops like Burt did early in his career.
With Johnston in the class, the Longhorns now rank firmly at number six in the country according to the 247Sports team rankings. The class average currently sits at 93.30, which only trails Clemson and Georgia, so while the numbers may not be as high in total commitments this cycle, the quality of them certainly are.