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Despite taking an official visit to Georgia this past weekend, 2017 JUCO defensive back prospect Lonnie Johnson decided his heart was elsewhere.
Johnson made his commitment public on Tuesday night — pledging his services to Kentucky. He chose the Wildcats over Georgia and West Virginia.
Lonnie Johnson did a bit of a fake out and went for the Georgia hat then picked up the Kentucky hat. Says he made his decision last night. pic.twitter.com/ZrFNWLUpl8
— Tyler Thompson (@MrsTylerKSR) December 13, 2016
Ranked as the No. 5 junior college safety in the country by 247Sports, the 3-star will bolster a UK secondary in need of depth and talent.
Johnson is a big player — registering at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds. Rangy in coverage, Johnson has the requisite athleticism needed to impact right away in Lexington. He will come in initially as a cornerback.
Johnson sited head coach Mark Stoops’s history of coaching defensive backs as a big reason for why he chose to commit to the program:
UK commit Lonnie Johnson: "I didn't know that Coach Stoops coached all those DBs at Miami, so once I saw that, that was a big part of it."
— Ben Roberts (@BenRobertsHL) December 13, 2016
This is a big pickup for Kentucky. It gives the Wildcats 19 public commitments. Perhaps most importantly, Stoops and his staff were able to land a big-time player whilst going up against another SEC East program.
