Cam Johnson was one of Virginia Tech's crown jewel recruits in their 2022 class as a consensus four-star recruit who had double-digit Power 5 offers coming out of high school.
He entered a CB room full of talent with Dorian Strong leading the way plus quality veterans like Armani Chatman and Brion Murray along with another talented young standout in redshirt freshman DJ Harvey. That put odds of Johnson being an instant impact freshman quite low even with the pedigree he brought to the table.
However, Johnson is proving that the recruiting hype surrounding his talent was for real especially to Virginia Tech's staff.
When asked about which true freshmen may contribute this season, Johnson was one of several players who Brent Pry mentioned with Johnson getting one of the longest compliments from the Hokies' head coach.
"When you look at the secondary, there's a lot of growth going on with Cam Johnson. I don't know if he's going to help us this fall or not, but he's making strides to the point I feel like I need to mention him," Pry said.
It's always a good sign when a head coach feels that he had a need to mention how well he's been doing.
With Dorian Strong a big year away from being a quality NFL Draft pick plus Armani Chatman and Brion Murray nearing the end of their collegiate careers, the Hokies are going to need guys like Johnson and DJ Harvey to step up as starters in the not too distant future. So far, CBs coach Derek Jones is liking what he's seeing not only from Harvey but also from Johnson.
"I've been very impressed with both of those guys maturing a lot since spring, learning a little bit more about what it takes to win in every aspect, being students in the meetings room, and just the way they are competing. I think both of them are playing with a level of confidence and both of them have bought into the philosophy and really understanding their roles. What that means is 'you are one day a backup and next day you're a starter' so you got to always prepare yourself like you're a starter. And it takes a certain level of maturity to perform well and I think those guys have bought into that," Jones said.
Derek Jones also knows that he's going to need more than just Strong, Chatman, and Murray in the short term given both the quality of depth of WRs in the ACC, and the realities of injuries that are always a possibility in football.
When asked about Chatman and Murray, he had praise for those 2 but also shared how he's looking to have at least 4 cornerbacks he can rely on.
"We need to be able to feel good about at least four guys going into the season while those young guys are continuing to develop," Jones said.
So could Cam Johnson be one of those four cornerbacks for the Hokies this fall?
"I think so. Cam has really come along. When I looked at Cam when he first got here, he was probably about 140-something pounds and just out there and he's really embraced the challenge. But I think the one thing Cam has brought to the table that people don't see is the mentality. He's a very confident kid. He plays physical to be a small guy but he's made some plays just by his length so I'm really, really excited about his upside and his future," Jones said.
If you're wondering which true freshman could be contributors in 2022 for the Hokies, Cam Johnson is proving to Tech's staff that he's one of the guys to watch.
