A recurring series where we will profile every player on Maryland's roster, counting down to kick-off against William & Mary on September 1. Thanks to OBNUG for the idea.
Today we profile another player who has moved back and forth between linebacker and defensive line.
Bradley Johnson, Junior (RS), Linebacker, #58
via grfx.cstv.com
Stats:
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 230
Major: American Studies
Twitter: None that I could find.
Collegiate Stats: 14 tackles (nine assisted), 0.5 for a loss, one fumble recovered, one pass broken up
High School Stats (Senior Year): 124 tackles, five for a loss, five pass breakups, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries
Recruiting Ratings: Three stars by Rivals (#21 in Virginia, #22 OLB), ESPN (#119 OLB), two stars by Scout (#56 WLB)
High School: Dinwiddie
Hometown: Dinwiddie, Va.
High School Highlights:
There's no single compilation video of his highlights, but if you really want to see you can find a bunch of 20-second clips (plus some videos from the X-Factor, apparently), you can find them here.
How'd He Get to College Park?
Bradley Johnson was one of the most productive linebackers in the area, compiling more than 100 tackles in each of his last two high school seasons. He was recruited to Maryland by Tom Brattan, one of only two coaches still with the school from when Johnson committed. He was also offered by South Carolina, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, among others
Johnson redshirted in 2009, and was named defensive scout team player of the week in back-to-back weeks in November. The next year, he moved from linebacker to defensive end, where he played in all 13 games, starting one. In his first-ever collegiate game, he had five tackles against Navy, which still stands as his career high.
Last year, he played in three games, recovering a fumble against West Virginia and doing just about nothing else. Midway through the year, he moved back to linebacker, but did not play.
Nickname:
Bradley "B-Rad" Johnson
Career Highlight:
Five tackles against Navy.
Career Lowlight:
Nothing better since then.
Dream Season:
Johnson proves as a viable back-up to Demetrius Hartsfield, setting himself up for a starting position next year.
Nightmare Season:
Johnson does not play well, paving the way for Brock Dean to take over.
2012 Prospectus:
There are only two players currently listed at MO, one of Maryland's two inside linebacker positions, for next year - Demetrius Hartsfield and Bradley Johnson. Hartsfield is one of the anchors of the defense, and is the unquestioned starter. With two impressive inside linebacker prospects coming in in the form of Abner Logan and Brock Dean, the back-up slot may not be so straight forward. Johnson is the favorite, but both of the incoming freshmen will be looking to get early playing time.
We've talked about it before, but it's worth repeating - the most likely situation is Abner Logan competing for a starting spot at MIKE and Brock Dean redshirting while preparing to take over for Hartsfield at MO. Obviously, that's not a situation that Bradley Johnson wants to see play out.
Johnson has proven to be a solid contributor off the bench, but that was at defensive end. While he switched to linebacker in the middle of last year, he didn't see the field at his new position and he's largely an unknown at the position. He's the favorite to be the back-up at MO this year, but beyond that, things are looking good for Brock Dean.
Up Next:
Our next player spent a year at Fork Union Military Academy.