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Four-star WR Brandon Johnson commits to the Vols

The Vols continued their strong recruitment at the wide receiver position by picking up yet another tall receiver, this time out of Florida.

By Nathanael Rutherford
Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

To be fair, Tennessee Volunteers head football coach Butch Jones and his staff haven't recruiting badly at any position thus far since taking over at Tennessee before the 2013 season. But two positions have really stood out the last few years, and that's been quarterback and wide receiver. While the Vols could arguably be called "Quarterback U" over the next few seasons, there's a reason Tennessee is known as "Wide Receiver U" still.

Late Wednesday night, the Vols picked up a commitment from receiver Brandon Johnson, a four-star receiver in the 2016 class according to 247Sports. Johnson resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and holds offers from nearly two dozen schools including Miami, LSU, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Georgie, Duke, and others. Johnson took to Twitter to announce his commitment to the Vols and used a picture from his previous visit to UT's campus.

Last season for American Heritage, Johnson caught 19 passes for 430 yards and 7 touchdowns as a junior. At 6-foot-3, 172 pounds, Johnson is a tall, skinny receiver who has plenty of room to add on weight and not lose any of this speed and athleticism. Johnson is just the latest receiver the Vols have added that stands at 6-foot-1 or taller, joining JUCO receive Jeff George and Corey Henderson in the 2016 class.

Not only is Johnson expected to be a good player in his own right, but he also has a very strong family connection. Brandon Johnson is the nephew of former NFL star receiver Chad Johnson, who caught 766 passes for 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns in 12 seasons with Cincinnati and New England. While Brandon Johnson won't be expected to perform like his uncle, having that genetic tie is only a good thing.

Johnson is the 16th commitment in the 2016 class for the Vols, and his addition pushed the class to a No. 15 overall ranking. The Vols are expected to have a smaller class than Butch Jones' first two classes, but the quality of the class is looking like it will be just as good, if not better, than the previous two.

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