Texas Football Recruiting: 2019 class close to adding JUCO LB Caleb Johnson?

Fullerton College could soon add the 22nd commit to the 2019 Texas football recruiting class with top 40 outside linebacker Caleb Johnson.

As the Early Signing Period creeps closer and closer for every Division 1 program in the nation, including Texas football recruiting, 2019 classes are building up for a turbulent 10 days ahead. Texas football recruiting is hoping to build on the sixth ranked 2019 class in the nation, according to 247Sports Team Composite Rankings.

Texas football recruiting sits within striking distance of the Clemson Tigers 2019 class to crack the top five. The Texas Longhorns coaching staff can’t look too far ahead since the Oregon Ducks and Oklahoma Sooners are within striking distance of surpassing them in the national recruiting rankings.

The 2019 Texas football recruiting class could use some pickups from the JUCO route since there’s only one committed so far. Three-star Butler Community College strongside defensive end Jacoby Jones is the only JUCO commit that this 2019 Texas football recruiting class has as of Dec. 9. The El Dorado, KS, native Jones is the second best JUCO prospect at his position in the nation, so Texas football recruiting derived a lot of value from him.

Jones is a former Oklahoma commit that flipped to the Horns within the past month. The former Sooners pledge could soon be the second JUCO commit in this 2019 Texas football recruiting class. Three-star Murrieta, CA, JUCO outside linebacker Caleb Johnson has his decision date set for Dec. 13. Johnson could commit just days before the start of the Early Signing Period and ink his National Letter of Intent on Dec. 19.

Not only could the Horns snag another valuable JUCO commit to add to this elite 2019 class, the program could steal away another decommit from a fellow Big 12 school. The other Big 12 school that Johnson was originally committed to was the Iowa State Cyclones. He decommitted from Iowa State on Oct. 9.

Since decommitting from Iowa State, Johnson took official visits with all four of his final schools. The four schools that his decision will come down to include the Colorado Buffaloes, Arkansas Razorbacks, Oregon, and Texas. The two favorites to land him out of those four look to be Oregon and Texas.

According to 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions, there’s a 100 percent chance that Johnson gives his pledge to the Horns. That might be a little far fetched, since he did have some kind words for the Ducks after his visit to Eugene, OR, per 247Sports Matt Prehm.

If Johnson does choose to take his talents to the Forty Acres, the Horns get to fill a gaping need that opens up in the linebacking corps from three potential key departures. Senior linebackers Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler both run out of eligibility and junior Malcolm Roach could bolt one year early for the 2019 NFL Draft.

Picking up Johnson’s commitment on Dec. 13 adds more depth and versatility to the Texas linebacking corps from the moment he steps on the Forty Acres. He would join a group next year that would feature Ayodele Adeoye, Jeffrey McCulloch, Joseph Ossai, De’Gabriel Floyd, and David Gbenda. The potential return of Roach to the Forty Acres for the 2019 campaign still seems to be up in the air.