![[IMG]](proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Frussreeves.com%2Fincomers.jpg&hash=5717532274f4539eb08e4bc122058256)
I have to say, Kirk Johnson was/is may favorite offensive recruit of the 2015 class. I love watching him run - his balance, vision, and speed; and he's always looking for a way outta trouble... before there's even a sign of trouble! On top of that, whenever I think about 2016 and his little-big bro's arrival with his own insane skills, I have to be medically treated for abnormally aggrandized goose bumps.
Following are write-ups from 247Sports and Horns Digest.
Kirk Johnson may have grown up in California, but he donned burnt orange from a very young age.
Johnson’s father, Johnnie, played defensive back at Texas in the late ‘70s earning All-American honors in both 1978 and 1979 before going onto a decade-long career in the NFL, most of which was with the Los Angeles Rams.
Kirk (San Jose, CA) is a 6-foot, 205-pound running back with an impressive blend of speed and power. He also isn’t the only member of his family to be a future Longhorn either. His brother, Collin, is a four-star wide receiver and commit in Texas’ 2016 class.
They’re going to have a difficult time matching dad’s legacy, but Kirk said they’re not going to settle. “We definitely are striving for it and hoping to make it greater,” Johnson said.
Behind senior Johnathan Gray, there are five underclassmen – from true freshman to true sophomores – that will compete for carries. While there are only a limited number of touches, Johnson is quietly confident he can work his way into the rotation.
“I expect to play, but I’m not just going to say that,” Johnson said. “I have to do what I have to do to earn it.”
Johnson would be well on the way to continuing the legacy his father established more than three decades ago. Johnson’s uncle also went there, his brother will go there and it’s that Johnson family legacy Kirk hopes to continue.
[Full article here]
This article begins with the story of Kirk and Collin being invited to visit Cal in April 2014. Cal offered Collin but not Kirk. While big bro was proud of lil' bro, it didn't sit well with him.
“I was pissed. I couldn’t sleep that night. I snuck out of my house. It was raining. I didn’t care. I ran to this hill about 10 minutes from our house – and I ran that hill until I couldn’t run it anymore.”
That determination and work ethic, combined with crazy athletic ability, is why Kirk’s father - former Texas All-American defensive back Johnnie Johnson – thinks his son has what it takes to be a special running back for the Longhorns.
“When you look at the elite players, they have a unique approach and motor – and Kirk has that motor and then some,” Johnnie Johnson said.
The day after Kirk Johnson’s furious, embittered, I’ll-show-Cal, rain-soaked, hill-charging, Kirk, Collin and Johnnie were on their way to Austin for Texas’ 2014 Junior Day, where Kirk and Collin were both offered scholarships by Charlie Strong.
Added Johnnie Johnson about the Cal snub, “If you light a fire like that in Kirk, watch out.”
Johnson showed everyone he has freakish physical skills by winning the SPARQ MVP honors at the Oakland NFTC with a score of 117.42 a year ago.
At 6-0 and 207 pounds, Johnson has run a 10.6 in the 100 and a 4.38 in the 40. Kirk credits his legendary youth track coach Burnett Lux with teaching him how to break through walls of limitation while training for the 100, 200 and 400 as well as relays.
“My youth track coach was no joke,” Kirk said. “Some kids were crying because he gave us grown-man workouts from the time we were 10, 11, 12 years old. There was no stopping. He taught me what it meant to have heart and get things done.”
It doesn’t take long watching Kirk’s film to see his ability to make decisive cuts – a la Jamaal Charles – and ability to run away from defenders. Kirk averaged 8.4 yards per carry and ran for 33 touchdowns in three seasons at San Jose (Calif.) Valley Christian.
“Our rivals would call out our plays, because they were the same ones we’ve been running since their dads were playing against us,” Kirk Johnson laughed. “So when we ran ‘Power,’ there’d be three tacklers on you like that. But it probably made me a better runner.”
And that’s what jumps off the film when you watch Kirk Johnson – great feet, balance and lateral quickness as well as an uncanny ability to change speeds, stop, start and make tacklers miss in the hole from point-blank range. And then the burst once he clears the first wave of tacklers.
[T]he most underrated part of Kirk Johnson’s game are his hands. Texas RB coach Tommie Robinson didn’t miss that fact. Robinson compares Johnson to former Rams RB Marshall Faulk, one of the best pass-catching backs in the history of the game.
Added Johnnie Johnson, “What jumps off the screen when you’re watching Kirk is that he plays angry. He plays with a chip on his shoulder.”
Finding those highly motivated, determined, focused players is Charlie Strong’s gift as a recruiter, Johnnie Johnson said.
“That Junior Day (in 2014) was our first meeting with Charlie (Strong). And after that meeting, I knew all the success he had at Louisville was legit. He develops the man, the student and the player. And he’s one of the best I’ve ever seen at developing that combination.
“When you have 10 players drafted who you recruited from a 22-person class (in 2011), you’re showing everyone you know what talent looks like and how to develop it.”
Johnson is joined in the 2015 recruiting class by Rockwall RB Chris Warren III, whose father also had a prolific NFL career (Chris Warren Jr.), as well as RB Tristan Houston. Johnson said three running backs in the class will only help Texas.
Johnson said the 2015 class is already a tight-knit group.
“We’re all ready to get there from Day 1 and work hard,” Kirk said. “That’s the kind of guys Coach Strong is looking for. We just want to take care of business on and off the field.”
Added Johnnie Johnson, “When Vance (Bedford) and I were at Texas, we played at a consistent level. Everyone knew what the expectation level was. Charlie (Strong) has them well on their way, and they may be closer than people think. Charlie is a master recruiter, and he showed it with this latest recruiting class. This group has a chip on its shoulder.”
And it’s not lost on the Johnson household that both Kirk and Collin will be at Texas when the Longhorns road trip to Cal in 2016, when Kirk will undoubtedly tap into his rain-soaked, running rage stemming from that failed visit to Berkeley.
“That should be interesting,” Johnnie smiled.
[Full article here]
