Best of the Portal: Oklahoma Looking to DT Jeffery Johnson as Defensive Leader

Johnson looks to slide into the Sooners' defensive interior and immediately become one of the key pieces of the OU defense in 2022.

The Oklahoma Sooners made a number of additions in the transfer portal this offseason. And while a few of those new players were on full display in last month’s spring game, AllSooners is taking a look back at each transfer’s top moments with their former team.

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Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is obviously the most high-profile transfer addition Oklahoma made this offseason given his position and what he looks to replace.

But, certainly defensive tackle Jeffery Johnson is right behind him in both areas.

Johnson comes over to the Sooners after four incredibly productive seasons with Tulane in which he amassed 135 career tackles and ten sacks in 46 career games.

Jeffery Johnson :: Maria Lysaker / USA TODAY Sports

With Isaiah Thomas and Perrion Winfrey both departed for the NFL, Johnson has big shoes to fill but seems more than ready to do so both in terms of on-field production and as a veteran leader in the locker room.

He committed to Oklahoma shortly after the end of last season on January 14.

Officially a Sooner!! Thank you @CoachToddBates @CoachTedRoof @CoachVenables for allowing me to become apart of your family, and what it means to be a champion! #SoonerBoomer pic.twitter.com/k8Z7xOsOYf

— Jeffery Johnson (@Jeffery5621) January 14, 2022

The Mississippi-native’s college football debut came all the way back on August 30, 2018 in a matchup against Wake Forest.

Despite being just a true freshman right out of high school, Johnson notched four tackles against a power five opponent in his first career game. He would go on to make 12 starts that season in the Green Wave’s 13 games.

After a successful freshman campaign, Johnson would find his footing more so in Year 2 with Tulane, highlighted by a game against Tulsa in early November of 2019.

Against the Golden Hurricane, he registered 1.5 sacks (he had just 0.5 career before that game) to help the Green Wave pick up the home win.

The 2020 campaign would continue to see Johnson’s production rise, capping the season off with a then-career-high six-tackle performance in a loss against Nevada.

Then came 2021, what would be his final year with Tulane, where Johnson officially asserted himself among college football’s more underrated defensive problem-makers.

Jeffery Johnson :: Jake Crandall / Imagn Content Services, LLC

Kicking off his fourth year with the Green Wave, somewhat ironically, was a matchup at Oklahoma.

Johnson would let his future team know what he was all about that warm day in Norman, registering six total tackles and a sack against the Sooners.

In his last two games with Tulane against South Florida and Memphis, he would finish on a high note combining for nine total tackles and three sacks helping his team get a win in his final home game against the Bulls.

The expectation is certainly for Johnson to now step in and be a major contributor for Oklahoma in the first year under Brent Venables and with the tutelage of defensive line guru Todd Bates.

Paired next to Jalen Redmond, the OU defensive interior looks to be a potential nightmare for opposing offenses in 2022.

Gabriel gets the headlines, but Johnson without question has all the makings of being one of the most significant transfer additions Oklahoma made this offseason. 

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