The Jacobe Johnson Chronicles: 2023 Mustang ATH talks Pokes and PlayStation

“This is my first year actually getting to lift,” says 6-foot-3 two-sport star

On April 30, Mustang High freshman Jacobe Johnson became the youngest in-state skill position player ever to receive an offer from OU. Throughout his recruitment, SI Sooners will have regular interviews with Johnson and consistent updates as the process plays out.

No new offers for Jacobe Johnson since we last checked in, but the 6-foot-3 two-sport phenom says he’s been in regular contact with coaches from several schools.

However, the school that seems to be pursuing Johnson most ardently isn’t the Sooners, but the rival Cowboys.

“I talk to [Oklahoma State cornerbacks coach] Tim Duffie,” Johnson said. “I love it. [OSU] wants me to call them every week. He just told me to call whenever I can. That’s big. I’m looking forward to doing that with them.”

Though he’s developed a close relationship with Duffie, Johnson says that’s not necessarily an indication that he’s leaning toward playing defense at the collegiate level.

“Every school that’s offered me, they’ve said they’re recruiting me as an athlete,” Johnson said. “But it’ll depend on how I end up growing. If I’m like 6-foot-5, 215 or 220 [pounds], I’ll probably be a wide receiver.”

Johnson is already listed at 6-foot-3, 183 pounds. It doesn’t take a Rhodes scholar to see immense potential based on his physical attributes alone. However, Johnson says it wasn’t until his eighth-grade year, playing basketball for Team Griffin, that he began seriously considering the reality that he had a future in collegiate athletics.

“We were going to big AAU tournaments, in like Alabama and Florida,” said Johnson. “I was doing anything I wanted to do. They couldn’t stop me.”

As far as realizing his ceiling on the gridiron, Johnson can’t really recall a specific moment when the switch flipped in his mind. However, as soon as he did, the thrill of pursuing a two-sport career became a part of his thought process.

“On the football side of it, once I started making big plays, getting recruited and stuff, I started to realize I could really do something with both sports,” he said.

Johnson says he doesn’t yet have any offers to play both sports from a single school, but that he’s broached the subject with most of the coaches he’s talked to. Now that summer has arrived, though, he’s trying to balance his new status as a coveted recruit with a life that resembles that of any other high schooler.

“I play the games,” Johnson said. “PlayStation. I’ll go over to my friends’ houses and play basketball. I have some friends in my neighborhood that I hang out with. Or I’ll work out.”

Incredibly, despite his hulking physique, Johnson says that he hadn’t worked out regularly until this year. However, he’s quickly developed a devotion to his regimen.

“I lift early in the morning, around 5:30 or 6:00,” he said. “This is my first year actually getting to lift. It’s the first year I’ve really locked in on working out, working on my skills.”

Those skills have already earned Johnson plenty of hype on the hardwood and on the football field. With three more years of prep ball to refine those skills, it’s not out of the question that come Johnson’s senior year, he could be one of the most sought-after recruits in the country.

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