The West Virginia Mountaineers football program has netted a commitment from Coconut Creek (Fla.) Monarch 2025 pass rusher Romando Johnson.
Johnson, 6-foot-4, 240-pounds, picked the Big 12 Conference program over scholarship offers from Miami (Fla.), Florida, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Mississippi State, Cincinnati, Boston College, Syracuse, Purdue and Rutgers, among a number of others.
The Rivals.com three-star prospect had been linked to the Mountaineers for quite some time led by the efforts of wide receivers coach Bilal Marshall as well as outside linebackers coach Victor Cabral and defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley.
That led to him taking an official visit to campus June 7-9 and received a pledge from the talented pass rusher.
Johnson initially received an offer from the Mountaineers in January and is slotted as a spur in the scheme.
He is the first outside linebacker to pick West Virginia and represents the eleventh overall commitment in the 2025 cycle.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Johnson and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Johnson has a nice frame and the agility to rush off the edge in a standup role if asked to do so. He is an athletic option rushing the passer and is equipped with a toolbox of maneuvers to get there. His speed gives offensive tackles trouble off the edge and makes him an intriguing fit in the Mountaineers scheme. But he also has the strength to beat the opposition inside giving him a well-rounded skill set.
But he isn’t just limited to that as Johnson displays the ability to be effective against the run and has the frame to continue to add good weight at the college level as he develops.
Like most young defensive linemen, he will need to work on his leverage but there are a lot of reasons to be excited as he continues to craft his game moving forward.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia has placed an emphasis on finding more athletic and bigger defensive linemen and edge rushers which Johnson certainly fits that profile. He is being slotted as a spur outside linebacker in the scheme and will step into a situation where both of the expected key pieces will exit at season’s end.
Johnson had long been interested in the Mountaineers football program and this visit seemed more like a formality for his recruitment. He had previously visited Rutgers, but West Virginia had surged to the forefront and his official visit to Morgantown helped to close the deal.
Florida has long been a major pipeline for the West Virginia football program and adding a pass rusher from the state that held over 30 scholarship offers is only going to further help that cause. There was a strong comfort level here and this is a pledge that fills a need for the Mountaineers.
Recruiting the position:
Johnson is being targeted as a spur or pass rushing linebacker and his commitment likely fills the need there for the Mountaineers in the 2025 class although they could look at one more.
Towson (Md.) Concordia Prep 2025 outside linebacker Sidney Stewart has already taken an official visit to campus and could be on that list depending on how things continue to develop.
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