We really enjoy our “Breakout Series.” For those of you who haven’t before read this magazine, this is the series where we forecast guys who may not have played the most significant of roles last season; but who we believe will burst onto the scene next season.
Sometimes the reason is graduation. Sometimes the reason is some physical attribute of the player which would lend itself to breaking onto the scene. Sometimes it is a gut feeling or something peculiar about a player’s skill set.
Tate Johnson made considerable contributions to the success of the Broncos’ 2021 season, not all of which showed up on the stat sheet. Johnson, a ’23 prospect, played in 11-games.
Johnson was a tough customer on special teams. Johnson aligned in the slot for Frederick Douglass’s offense and stalk blocked the Hell out of some opposing players. We are willing to bet he led the slot receivers and “special teamers” in “pancakes.”
Johnson, who is 6-0, 180-pounds, and listed as a WR on the roster, figures to play a much expanded role in ’22. The reason we think this? In a word, it is speed.
Johnson is on the Frederick Douglass Track & Field team. Johnson is a sprinter (100, 200, 400 meters) and an explosive, quick-twitcher who competes in the long jump (19’5″) and the triple jump (37’8.75″).
We don’t have a registered 40-time for Johnson. Good thing we have a formula for converting his 100-meter, laser measured time of 11.81-seconds into a likely 40-yard dash time. The formula is take his 100-meter time and deduct the number 1.17. Divide that result by 10. Multiple by 3.66. Add the number one (1).
Working that formula, we have Johnson clicking off a 40-yard dash in 4.89-seconds on the laser. Should he be a guy who runs the back half of his 100-meter significantly decelerated, Johnson may even be faster at 40-yards than this formula would indicate.
Either way, a laser-timed 4.89 is plenty fast to play in the slot on offense and contribute as a nickel/dime/rover 2nd/3rd level defender in a high school, 5A football program. Johnson is also big enough, at 180-pounds, to arrive at a ball carrier with malicious intent and the power to deliver quite a lick.
We believe Johnson is too much a physical specimen, and too athletic, not to factor more into the Bronco attack in ’22. That is why we believe he will break out onto the Friday Night scene this coming Fall. Then again, what do we know?
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
If you enjoyed this article and wish to gain full-access to the site, then subscribe monthly to Kentucky Prep Gridiron by following the prompts!
© The information contained on this site is the copyrighted intellectual property of KPGFootball. Any unauthorized dissemination of this material without the author’s express written consent is strictly prohibited!
Leave a Reply