Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Countdown to Signing Day: Avery Johnson
By Gary Laney
To gear up for 2013 national signing day, GeauxTigerNation's Gary Laney will break down every commitment in the Tigers' 2013 recruiting class.
Vitals: WR Avery Johnson, Pompano Beach, Fla./Ely (Hargrave Military Academy), 6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Committed to LSU: In 2010 and signed with the Tigers in 2012, but attended prep school after failing to meet NCAA initial eligibility requirements
ESPN Grade: 82, Four-star prospect
Picked LSU over: Visited Florida and had offers from the likes of Miami, USC, Alabama and Notre Dame
State of the position: Almost all of LSU's wide receiver production returns, led by Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham, the two mainstays in the Tigers passing game. That doesn't mean there isn't a need. LSU also has a commitment from 6-4 Quantavius Leslie, so the Tigers are obviously needing bigger downfield targets than either Landry or Beckham, neither taller than 6-foot, give them.
Pros: Johnson, the brother of former LSU star and current NFL Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson, has all the tools. He has good height, and good speed for a player with his height. A year in prep school should give him a level of maturity relative to other true freshmen. He's also already enrolled, meaning he'll get a head start in LSU's offseason program relative to most of his class.
Cons: The ESPN scouting report said he's not an elite pass catcher in the mold of a Landry. He'll need to have the kind of attention to detail to consistently run the right route and make the catch, otherwise he'll have trouble separating himself from a veteran group of receives.
Potential role/comparison: He'll naturally draw comparisons to his brother, but it might be more apt to compare him to LSU's last wide receiver recruit from Florida, Kadron Boone. He is bigger than Boone and his size is something that could allow him to find a niche, especially if Leslie continues to struggle to get eligible.
