Nebraska has added more speed to its offense as Rahmir Johnson made things official for the Huskers Saturday.
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound running back out of Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic picked NU over offers from Boston College, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Maryland, and Kentucky among others. He becomes the fifth known commit for Nebraska's 2019 recruiting class.
Here are some quick takes on what Johnson's commitment means for Nebraska.
1. Nebraska landed one of their more coveted offensive weapons on Saturday. The Huskers had Rahmir Johnson high on their running backs board from the moment they offered back in December. Head coach Scott Frost and running backs coach Ryan Held have talked with Johnson virtually every day since offering. It was that constant attention that played a large role in Johnson picking NU.
2. It has become clear that the coaching staff not only places a premium on running backs with speed in Frost's offense but also that they were concerned about the overall speed at the position that currently existed on the roster. What a difference a few months can make as NU added Miles Jones and Maurice Washington to the 2018 class and now have Johnson and Thomas Grayson committed for the 2019 class. All four of those prospects have legit track speed and run in the 10.4-10.7 range in the 100-meters.
3. Johnson is a smooth runner. He's got a tremendous burst to get up to full speed seemingly within a few steps. Then, once in the open field, he seems to have another gear to his overall top-end speed. His speed and big-play ability make him a great fit in Frost's offense.
4. Once upon a time, the Huskers used to be able to pull some top talent out of the state of New Jersey on a fairly regular basis. However, it's been a while since NU has been able to consistently land difference-makers from the Garden State. Johnson is currently considered the No. 5 overall prospect in New Jersey and the No. 193 overall player in the nation. Perhaps Johnson could help them land more talent from Jersey in the future.
5. From all accounts, Johnson is a high character kid with a strong work ethic. He's also a winner which is something that really does matter. He comes from a Bergen Catholic program that has high expectations and performs at a high level every year. Johnson helped lead them to a state title last season. Bergen Catholic is also a program that produces several DI prospects each year so that could become an important connection down the road as well.
6. The addition of Johnson to the recruiting class means Nebraska can officially shut things down at the running back position going forward. Although they only have five total commits for 2019, it is nice for them to be able to cross one position off of their needs list and pour more attention elsewhere.
7. Johnson visited Nebraska a little over a month ago for NU's first junior day. Dating back to the final stretch of the 2018 class, this coaching staff has shown that once they get a player on campus they generally have a pretty good chance of eventually closing the deal.
8. 2019 Nebraska commit breakdown
5/5/2018 - Rahmir Johnson - RB - 5-foot-10, 170 - Oradell, NJ - 4 Stars
4/9/2018 - Thomas Grayson - RB - 5-foot-11, 190 - Tulsa, OK - 2 Stars
3/5/2018 - Ethan Piper - DE - 6-foot-4, 280 - Norfolk, Neb. - 3 Stars
11/24/2017 - Garrett Snodgrass - ATH - 6-foot-3, 220 - York, Neb. - 3 Stars
6/24/2017 - Garrett Nelson - OLB - 6-foot-3, 236 - Scottsbluff, Neb. - 3 Stars
9. Commits by position
0 - Quarterback
2 - Running back
0 - Wide receiver
0 - Tight end
0 - Offensive linemen
1 - Defensive end
1 - Outside linebacker
0 - Inside linebacker
0 - Safety
0 - Cornerback
1 - Athlete
0 - Special teams
10. Where are they from?
3 - Nebraska
1 - New Jersey
1 - Oklahoma