UCLA transfer LB Caleb Johnson interested in returning to Texas

An interesting storyline that surfaced coming out of the weekend in the midst of spring camp for the Texas football program involves a former player from this team in the NCAA Transfer Portal at a position of need. Former Texas JUCO transfer and UCLA Bruins senior linebacker Caleb Johnson entered the transfer portal recently.

And it looks like there could be legitimate interest between the Longhorns and Johnson after he officially entered the transfer portal back on April 7. A report from 247Sports over the weekend indicates that two programs Johnson has begun to “narrow his focus to” are the Longhorns and Miami Hurricanes.

Johnson is reportedly really only looking at Texas and Miami at the moment. That is big news considering how many suitors he could have given his proven track record from the last two seasons under head coach Chip Kelly and the Bruins.

It’s worth noting that Johnson already has a visit scheduled with new head coach Mario Cristobal and the Canes for the upcoming week. And he’s reportedly trying to get a visit on the books with the Texas coaching staff this week.

Could Texas football bring back UCLA transfer LB Caleb Johnson?

The fact that he’s already trying to get a visit scheduled with Texas just goes to show how serious this interest got between the two parties in a short span of time.

Since linebacker is such a noted position of need for the Longhorns this offseason, it makes sense that Johnson would be looking to return to Texas for a second run at things. He originally put his name in the transfer portal a few offseasons ago before landing with the Bruins.

Johnson got his first game reps with the Bruins during the 2020 season, where he was truly one of the breakout linebackers in the PAC-12. During the 2020 campaign, Johnson registered 44 combined tackles, seven tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery in just seven games played.

And then, Johnson’s numbers in terms of sacks and tackles for loss took a pretty big hit last season. But he dropped into pass coverage assignments much more often in 2021 than he did in the prior year. That’s mostly what led Johnson to not register a single sack or tackle for loss last season.

He did actually have three more quarterback pressures (20 compared to 17) last season than the year prior, though. Johnson just wasn’t able to get to the passer to actually get a sack. He was definitely disruptive rushing the passer still.

Moreover, Johnson could immediately fill a need for the Longhorns as a middle linebacker. That’s where one of the bigger weaknesses lies for this Texas defense this offseason. Johnson would likely be a candidate to start at the mike or will linebacker position(s) right away.

If Texas were to land a commitment from Johnson out of the portal this offseason, he would be looking to compete with the likes of redshirt junior linebacker David Gbenda and junior Jaylan Ford.

Texas is currently in the midst of spring practice as we are a little more than halfway through camp. The Orange-White spring football game is set to take place at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on April 23.