NC State picks up a commitment from 3-star defensive back Joseph Johnson

NC State’s 2020 recruiting class got a boost Saturday with the verbal commitment of Joseph Johnson, who is a defensive back from Virginia. Johnson is one of the best players in his state and is being recruited by Penn State, West Virginia, and plenty of other power-conference programs.

(I’d use the past tense there but that ain’t how football recruiting works.)

Johnson was on campus this weekend and made his decision while in Raleigh. He’s a big kid—already 6’3”—which makes his future hard to guess exactly, but no doubt NC State would like him to stick in the defensive backfield.

Within NC State’s system, he could go in a number of directions, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up at nickel or safety. Football recruiting is a game of long-run guesses—Dave Doeren is pretty good at those—and a lot depends on how the teenagers you recruit grow and handle their introduction to a serious strength and conditioning program.

Kid’s a player, no doubt about that. There is a lot to like with the tools that are already on hand: