4-Star defensive tackle Taizse Johnson signs with Maryland football

Four-star defensive tackle Taizse Johnson, who was one of the earliest commits of Maryland football’s 2021 class, signed his National Letter of Intent Wednesday to officially join the program.

“I really wanted to put the stamp on it,” Johnson told Testudo Times earlier this week. “I’ve really felt the family atmosphere from the jump and wanted to lock-in early.”

The Washington, D.C. product out of St. John’s, who announced his pledge to the Terps in January 2020, is one of the best gets for head coach Mike Locksley in this recruiting cycle. Johnson is ranked as the No. 17 defensive tackle in the country, as well as the second-best player out of the District (behind No. 1 quarterback Caleb Williams).

Johnson, listed at 6-foot-1, 290 pounds, chose Maryland over national powerhouses Alabama, Ohio State and Florida, among other top programs. He comes to College Park alongside St. John’s teammates Colby McDonald Jr. and Antwain Littleton.

Throughout his high school career, Johnson has shown the ability to blow past offensive linemen to put pressure on the quarterback, utilizing his combination of power and speed.

The Terps’ 2021 class centers around defensive line talent as Locksley tries to bolster a position the program has often lacked in.

Johnson is one of seven defensive lineman that committed to Maryland ahead of the early signing period. He highlights the class alongside fellow four-stars defensive end Demeioun Robinson and defensive tackle Tommy Akingbesote. All three are from the DMV area.

“We feel like our class is the true start to the DMV2UMD movement,” Johnson said. “I don’t really think it was a plan to get so many guys in the front seven, but we had a bunch of local talent so it was more, ‘Why not?’”

Due to Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) rules, Johnson won’t be enrolling early.