Syracuse Football: 2018 DB DuWayne Johnson adds ‘elite instincts’

No this isn’t ‘The Rock’ but he might as well be. Here’s why DuWayne Johnson is a HUGE pickup for the Syracuse football squad in 2018.

DuWayne Johnson, a 2018 cornerback will enroll at Syracuse University this fall, and will be eligible immediately. After committing to Virginia Tech out of high school in Washington, D.C., Johnson didn’t feel it was the right fit and played most recently at Arizona Western Community College.

The Orange beat out offers from the likes of Arkansas, Iowa State, Missouri, and Washington State for Johnson’s services. At 6-foot 2 and 175-pounds, Johnson has very good size for a cornerback in the ACC.

Johnson is expected to compete for playing time right away, and will strengthen a Syracuse secondary that lost Devin M. Butler and Jordan Martin to graduation. Butler was the nickel back last season after coming over from Notre Dame.

Originally a member of the class of 2015, Johnson was a three star prospect, and ranked the 66th best corner in his class by 247sports. He had offers from Georgia, Miami, and Michigan State among others.

The University released his enrollment via twitter:

Let’s look at the tape:

The first play I want to look at occurs at the :08 mark of the tape. The very first play that occurs. The tape starts off by saying that Johnson was “rarely thrown at”, and it does appear to be the case. This time, they elect to throw his way, only about a 5-yard come back route. Johnson is willing to give that up, because he has something waiting for the pass catcher, and that is a colossal hit. Johnson pummels the pass catcher, and makes sure he will not gain any more yards than five.

At the 1:05 mark of the tape, Johnson shows off why he was considered one of the elite corner’s in his class. The running back for the offense finds room in the open field and looks like he has a lot of real estate in the open field. Johnson quickly closes that gap and comes over to make a good strong tackle in the open field to limit the ball carrier to a short gain.

At the 2:33 mark of the tape, Johnson makes a great play and is not even thrown to. He shows off his excellent coverage skills, swiveling his hips extremely fast, reading the route path of the receiver. After swiveling and getting in position, Johnson has the foot speed to stay attached at the hip of the receiver, and does not allow him to get far up field, preventing the quarterback from throwing his way.

Next: Syracuse Football: Top 10 players to watch out for in 2018

Johnson is a guy the Syracuse coaching staff has been on for a while, and he will see a lot of the field this upcoming season, either on special teams, and in the defensive backfield.