Rutgers early enrollee sees opportunity at middle linebacker

Out of the 82 current Rutgers football team members listed on the depth chart this spring, four have already gotten a leg up.

For freshmen like cornerback Blessaun Austin, defensive lineman Jon Bateky and linebacker Deonte Roberts, the new arrival presents an opportunity — not necessarily to immediately capture a starting spot, but to become acclimated with becoming a full-time student-athlete.

“These younger guys, they’re very hungry to play,” said senior defensive tackle Darius Hamilton. “They’re very eager to get out there and they’re very eager to get better.”

Isaiah Johnson’s case is an exception.

As the lone junior early enrollee for the Scarlet Knights at spring camp, the Oakland, California, native trekked across the country for a slightly different opportunity.

“I feel like it was a good opportunity to play here,” Johnson said. “… The coaches really emphasized the direction the team is headed in and, you know, just becoming a winning program they’ve been in the past and I’m just looking forward to making a better future.”

Rated as a two-star linebacker prospect by Rivals.com, Johnson was under-recruited.

He starred in high school at Bishop O’Dowd (Calif.) — mainly as a running back before receiving more looks at middle linebacker in his senior season — but had zero scholarship offers to show for it.

Electing to boost his recruitment with two years at the City College of San Francisco, Johnson made the most of his second chance. 

Highlighted by his team-high 72 tackles, 10.5 for-loss and 2.5 sacks, Johnson’s recruitment reopened after his sophomore season as Cal-Poly, Purdue and Rutgers came calling.

Seeing greener grass on the east coast, Johnson decided to join the Knights.

Since venturing out to Piscataway for the first time in late January to enroll at the University, Johnson set out with a hunger to prove himself.

Five practices in, he’s held up that end of the bargain with a solid first impression.

With a hole at middle linebacker opening after the dismissal of LJ Liston last month, head coach Kyle Flood pegged Johnson as a co-starter with redshirt-freshman linebacker Brandon Russell.

Until South Carolina transfer Kaiwan Lewis arrives in August for training camp, junior linebacker Steve Longa holds the weak side and senior linebacker Quentin Gause mans the strong side.

While Flood hinted that there could be a rampant rotation implemented by the end of the annual Scarlet-White intersquad scrimmage, he addressed that the position is wide-open.

“I feel like we need to find out who the middle linebacker is going to be, and I wouldn't discount really any permutation of those players at this point,” Flood said during his opening spring presser. “… Brandon Russell is going to get an opportunity for a much bigger role now than what he's had, and a guy like Isaiah Johnson who's new to our program, and they're going to get a lot of reps this spring, and ultimately we're going to have to decide who are the best three people out there.”

Johnson acknowledged his junior college experience as an advantage heading into camp, but refused to rely on it.

As he continues to acclimate to how the Rutgers defense operates, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound middleman said he’s already gained significant strength in the weight room and made consistent strides on the field in his short time on the banks.

“They’re great,” Johnson said of the players and coaching staff. “I’ve already learned a lot, so far just watching (the players). Their work ethic and how they approach the task at hand — I feel like that’s definitely big and just definitely how they play as well. Watching film, you know, they’re just making plays and helping the team.”

Writers, recruiting sites and fans have tabbed him time and time again as the man to fill the void — and Johnson admitted he’s seen and heard it all.

But while the speculation continues to mount as the spring pushes on, he remains locked in on the opportunity that brought him here in the first place.

“I feel like people are putting a lot of pressure on me, but I embrace the challenge,” Johnson said. “… I just want to work hard and get better — personally, first off — and just see where that takes me.”

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