North Texas may have gotten one of those players some call ‘flying under the radar.’ Antonio Johnson, OT/TE, 6-8, 275, 4.75 Diboll High School, Diboll, Texas was getting a lot of looks from some big name schools from the Big 12, MWC, CUSA but no one pulled the trigger. In the end it was North Texas, University of Louisiana-Monroe, SMU, UTEP and every 1-AA school in Texas to offer.

He originally committed to UL-M, but changed his commitment to North Texas after UL-M released their head football coach. He cocommitted to UL-M because they “offered him blind and early” said Diboll Head Coach Tom Sheppard. The commitment also came “before UNT got on him.”

Johnson was recruited by Offensive Line Coach Spencer Leftwich. Sheppard said Leftwich was “was straight forward” with Johnson and “told him exactly what was going on with North Texas.” The coach stated a lot of coaches come in telling players one thing but when they get to the campus they find out things are different. They may be told they are being recruited for one position then placed in another.

When Johnson got to the campus he found out what was going on with the program, where he would play and it was exactly what Leftwich told him.

There were several other reasons for his commitment. He liked the plans for the new stadium and was surprised by all the other improvements that have been done, the ones going on surrounding the Athletic Department and the campus. He was impressed with Head Coach Todd Dodge and his plans for the future of North Texas Football and he wanted to be part of the future. He felt North Texas would give him a great education and it was close enough to home for family support. Plus “the family really liked Leftwich.”

“He is really a good one and I wish I could have him for four more years” stated Sheppard. He said Johnson has “great feet” is a “great person” and gets along with everyone. However, “he has a mean streak when he needs it on the football field” and went on to add he is “definitely a Division I football player.”     

Diboll is a 3-A, Region 3, District 18 school that had a down year after three winning seasons.  

Johnson was a three year player and started out his career at tight end before being moved to offensive tackle during his senior year. He was also a part time defensive tackle where he recorded 18 solo tackles, two assists for a total of 20 tackles and caused one fumble.

In his junior year, at tight end, he had ten receptions for 124 yards and three touchdowns. When he worked on the defensive side of the ball he recorded ten solo tackles, ten assisted tackles for 20 total tackles 

In his sophomore season he played in two games, caught two passes for 21 yards.

The ESPN recruiting site stated “physically on film Johnson comes across as a pretty impressive looking kid. He looks to be all of what he is listed at, if not more. He looks to have a nice wingspan and the frame to add more good bulk with some time in a college weight program.” ESPN Insider Video on Johnson 

During the recruiting process he was listed at 6-6 but Sheppard stated “he is 6-8 and I expect he will grow to 6-9.” He is now somewhere between 275-280 pounds.

Johnson is expected to redshirt his first year, get to see action as a redshirt freshman and be the starter for the next three years at offensive tackle.

He is qualified but the coach did not know which career Johnson has chosen at this time.

While he normally plays summer basketball, this year he is forgoing basketball to get ready to play for UNT. He expects the competition he will face in college to be a lot bigger, stronger and faster then what he faced during his high school career. So, in the off-season he is working out on the North Texas weight program gearing up for the better competition. Sheppard stated “he is an extremely hard worker” and working hard getting prepared.  

He comes from an athletic family. His mother Sheila Johnson played basketball for LSU and was an All-SEC performer.