Countdown to Kickoff: 66 Days (Jerome Johnson)

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

#66

There are now 66 days remaining until the Indiana Hoosiers kick-off the 2016 season in Miami against the Florida International Golden Panthers. Join us each day for each part of our 100-day countdown to the opener! Currently, there is no player that is assigned to number 66, so we will be profiling incoming freshman Jerome Johnson.

Jerome Johnson (Incoming Freshman)

-Height: 6’3”
-Weight: 295 pounds
-Hometown: Bassfield, Mississippi
-Position: Defensive Line

The big defensive lineman from Mississippi was one of the latest to commit to the Hoosiers in the 2016 recruiting class, but his impact may be felt early on. Indiana is in need of impact defensive lineman after losing Zack Shaw, Nick Mangieri, and Darius Latham to graduation and the NFL. Johnson, at 6’3” and 295 pounds has the frame to play right away should the need arise.

Johnson had a stellar high school career for coach Tim Tyrell at Archbishop Hoban High School where he led them to a fourth consecutive state title during his senior year. He was a three-time first team all-state and all-region selection, named the 2015 Region 7-2A Most Valuable Player and the Mississippi Association of Coaches Player of the Year for the 2015 season. As a senior, Johnson posted 88 total tackles, with eight sacks, and a whopping 20 tackles for loss.

The Hoosiers are thin along the line this season and Jerome Johnson could be one of the true freshmen to get a high number of snaps. While it may take a season to truly develop into a big time player, Johnson has the raw physical skills to force his way into the lineup and if he can get anywhere remotely close to eight sacks and 20 TFL’s IU’s defense has a chance to be pretty solid. 

Share any memories or recollections you have of Jerome Johnson as a player in the comments section (or on the message boards) and be sure to come back to Hoosier Huddle each day during our countdown!