Keyshawn Johnson Jr. leaves Nebraska football team
After signing with the Cornhuskers and enrolling early, the son of former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson has left the Nebraska football program.
The Keyshawn Johnson, Jr. era of Nebraska football is over — for now at least.
According to Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald, the Nebraska freshman wide receiver, and son of three-time Pro Bowl wideout Keyshawn Johnson, is leaving the Cornhuskers to “mature.” Johnson Jr. has already left Lincoln for his hometown of Calabasas, California just six months after enrolling at the school. It’s unclear whether or not he will return to the program.
The decision, apparently a mutual one between Cornhuskers head coach Mike Riley (who was Keyshawn Johnson Sr.’s offensive coordinator at USC) and the Johnson family, followed the younger Johnson’s citation for marijuana in a university dorm room earlier this month.
Johnson was a three-star prospect according to the 247Sports composite, which ranked him as the No. 336 prospect in the nation. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Johnson was ranked as the No. 49 wide receiver prospect in the country in the 2017 class, and ranked as the 38th best player from the state of California. He committed to the Huskers in March, 2016, and caught 48 passes for 812 yards and 11 touchdowns as a high school senior.
Despite his famous bloodlines, his early enrollment, and his standing as one of Nebraska’s most highly recruited players in the most recent signing class, Johnson wasn’t expected to compete for significant playing time as a true freshman. After missing a significant portion of spring practice due to illness, it appeared likely the Nebraska coaching staff would have opted to redshirt Johnson. He caught one pass in the spring game, and fumbled.
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Johnson was one of 20 players that signed with the Cornhuskers as part of the 2017 draft class. He was the fifth highest ranked prospect in the group, but just the third best receiver. The Huskers signed four four-star prospects: receivers Tyjon Lindsey and Jaevon McQuitty, who could see the field this fall, Delaware linebacker Avery Roberts and Johnson’s high school teammate quarterback Tristan Gebbia. Overall, the class ranked No. 23 in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten.