Hold the phone. The Iowa Hawkeyes’ defense is not the only ones getting national media recognition. There is some notice getting put onto a young star that began to blossom in the 2021 season.
That would be sophomore receiver Keagan Johnson. The explosive receiver has been labeled as one of only 15 ‘unicorns’ by 247Sports for the upcoming 2022 season. 247Sports’ Will Backus believes Johnson is an example of the modern-day player that can expose defenses in multiple ways.
College football offenses love gadget players. Johnson fits that mold perfectly. He is one of the fastest players in the country, regardless of position, and had three catches of 40-plus yards last season as a freshman — the same as all of Iowa’s other receivers combined. Averaging 19.6 yards per catch, he is a big play waiting to happen. The Hawkeyes would do well moving him all over the field and, given his ability after the catch, they could drum up some packages utilizing him in the backfield. – Backus, 247Sports.
One does not have to look too far to see how explosive Johnson is and the playmaking ability that he possesses. As a true freshman last year, he was able to be a catalyst to an offense that needed sparks at times to move the ball. Johnson’s ability to produce chunk plays and generate excitement as soon as the ball touches his hands definitely constitutes him as a ‘unicorn.’
Below shows how multi-faceted the young receiver is. There is the run after catch talent, the strength to break tackles, and the ability to win deep.
Yards after catch
Keagan Johnson is a freshman.
The @HawkeyeFootball WR is going to be a YAC machine, for years to come. 👀 pic.twitter.com/o48Hk8Araq
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 16, 2021
Strength
How did Keagan Johnson get out of that!? 🤯@HawkeyeFootball | @_keaganj pic.twitter.com/b1Sx8DEfR8
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 13, 2021
Explosiveness
Doesn’t get much better than this.
Keagan Johnson (@_keaganj), in his first start for @HawkeyeFootball, hauls in his first career catch and it’s good for a 43-yard TD.
Awesome moment for the former @BellevueWestFB star.
pic.twitter.com/tT8ZzoBlBI— Matt Foster KETV (@MattFosterTV) September 25, 2021
As the Hawkeyes gear up for the upcoming 2022 season, the offense could lean heavily on Keagan Johnson to expose defenses in multiple ways that he has already shown he can do.
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