Tennessee head football coach Butch Jones may have his quarterback of the future, securing a verbal commitment from one of the top passers in the class of 2017.
According to ESPN, Hunter Johnson announced his decision Sunday, indicating Jones' involvement early on was a key factor.
"Tennessee was my first offer," Johnson told ESPN. "I've always believed in them from the beginning. I trust Coach Jones and the rest of the coaches there, and I feel like I will be very happy there. The fans at UT are the best in college football."
Standing six-foot-three and weighing 193 pounds, the Brownsburg, Ind. product seems to have the ideal physical makeup of a pro-style pocket passer. Though he is just going into his junior year in high school, evaluators believe he has an advanced feel for throwing.
Though he is billed as a pocket passer, Johnson has also exhibited some athleticism, especially in extending a play or escaping pressure.
Johnson landed 40th overall on the ESPN Junior 300 and ranked fourth overall among pocket passer QBs. However, 247 Sports gave Johnson a 0.9921 composite rating and a ranked him the top QB in his class, as well as the 11th best prospect overall.
"I think the distance has always been a perfect distance for me, not too far but close enough to home," Johnson told 247 Sports. "Playing in the SEC, Coach Jones, Coach Debord and Coach Sheridan, the whole coaching staff, it's a really great coaching staff. Tennessee is really on the rise right now. I feel like Tennessee is an opportunity I can't really pass up."
