Ferentz on Donavan Johnson

There's not a lot out there on Donavan Johnson, a defensive tackle prospect from Arlington (Texas) Martin High School. But that didn't stop him from getting 10 scholarship offers, including Nebraska, Purdue and TCU.

I always thought he was 6-2, 245, but Iowa has him listed at 265, which sort of changes his trajectory. Judging on the little bit of highlight video I was able to find on the net, Johnson is an aggressive, dominant player who could also find himself somewhere on the offensive line. A lot of his video was blocking and it ended with the defender on the ground nearly every time.

He told HawkeyeReport.com that he needs has to do well on his ACT to qualify.

Links -- Martin High School football has a sharp website. You can catch a picture or two here of Johnson. . . . This website had Johnson No. 42 on its list of Dallas-Fort Worth's top 100 recruits. . . . Here's a report from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Johnson's commitment.

Bio -- From UI sports info: High school honors - - Named first team all-conference as a junior and senior . . . honorable mention all-conference as a sophomore . . . Career - - earned three varsity letters as defensive and offensive lineman . . . member of prep team that advanced to state playoffs in each of his three seasons . . . team captain as a senior.

Personal - - Born 3/26/92 . . . open major . . . parents are Lara Thigpen and Derek Johnson . . . high school coach was Bob Wager.

Ferentz on -- On where Johnson could fit in among Iowa's five D-line recruits: "Donavan Johnson, Mike Hardy are guys I think that are going to grow, they have great growth potential. We're excited about that. Good movement.

"As far as inside and outside, we'll wait and see. I thought for sure (Karl) Klug was going to be an outside guy. And that shows you what I know. We just threw him inside one day by accident because we had some guys injured and, boy, he had a really good knack for it.

"So, there's a guy who is a two-star recruit that probably played maybe half a step behind Clayborn. If you watch a game tape from the bowl game. Adrian played a great game and Karl Klug was right behind him.

"We're anxious to get these guys on campus. We're going to need some help. I know that. Because we're really top-heavy at that position."

Projection is fun -- If Johnson comes in at 245, then he probably redshirts. If he's 265, that's a different story. I could see a scenario where a 265-pounder could see some depth time (read mop up) and special teams just to get a taste of game speed.

Ultimately, I believe Johnson will be a D-tackle. In the one Rivals video I watched, it was mostly him blocking. In it, however, he showed fantastic feel for leverage and overwhelming power.

Can't find a YouTube on Johnson, but here's a link to the Rivals video. I'm not sure it'll work, but give it a shot (it should work once, I think).

Donavan Johnson video