Former Jeannette standout Johnson commits to Illinois
High-energy defensive lineman Anthony Johnson, who played briefly at Jeannette where he spearheaded a championship defense, committed to Illinois.
He is a transfer from Youngstown State.
Johnson (6-3, 300) entered the transfer portal after a strong junior season at YSU where he had 25 tackles, 6.5 for loss, and five sacks.
He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Last One, Best One! I-L-L pic.twitter.com/l4sO11lV8D
— Ant (@anttt88) December 15, 2023
He drew numerous offers when he put his name in the transfer portal for a second time (he began his college career at Bowling Green). Among them: Pitt, Arkansas, Houston, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Wisconsin and others.
Johnson helped Jeannette win WPIAL and PIAA titles as a junior in 2017 — he had 134 tackles and 12 sacks — but transferred to Cleveland Heights and earned All-Ohio honors as a senior.
He attended Allderdice, Chartiers Valley and Lincoln Park before coming to Jeannette.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
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