The 2008 season saw him pass for over 2, 800 yards, 34 TD's and a measly 3 interceptions.
"I just have great WR's.," added Claude Johnson. "My offensive
line gave me the time to make the right decisions. That is why I only threw
3 int's last year. They gave me the time to make good decisions."
That is being modest, but when discussing his strengths, a couple of things
pop up.
"I can evade the pressure. I can make people miss, and I have the speed
(4.5) to tuck it when I need to. I also have a strong arm, and I am very accurate."
Some people believe Claude is destined for another position on the next level
because he is only 6' 0" tall, and he can run with the wind, but do not
tell Johnson that.
"I have been playing QB since pee wee ball. That is all that I know. Everybody
is recruiting me for QB too."
Pine Bluff earned a number seed in last year's Class 6A playoffs, but they were
upset in the first round by their cross town rivals. You might be surprised
to hear his answer when discussing his personal goals for his senior season.
"I just want to get that State Championship ring, but more importantly,
I want to leave my team the desire to win when I leave here. If we do not win
a game next year, but our players continue the work ethic that we started when
I got here, I will be happy."
Surprisingly, the All-State QB has only received one scholarship offer to date.
"Ole Miss is the only school who has offered me. They offered me during
the beginning of my junior season. They came over to one of my practices, and
then they called my coach the next week to let him know about it."
Johnson is not too familiar with the Ole Miss football team, but he does know
all about their head coach.
"Coach Nutt was over here (Arkansas) for ever, so I have followed him since
I was a kid. Everybody loves coach Nutt around here. He is a player's coach
and a great coach. That is evident by what he did at Ole Miss in his first year.
They did not win an SEC game the year before, and then he takes them to a New
Year's day bowl in his first season there. I think it would be a good fit, but
I can not make that kind of decision yet. I do plan to get over there for a
scrimmage on April 4th though."
Who else is showing a lot of interest?
"Vandy has been showing me a lot of interest. Oregon, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, and LSU have called. A lot of different schools are showing a lot of
interest."
What does Claude know about Vandy?
"They are pretty new to me. I do not know too much about Vandy, but I liked
what I saw when I watched them on TV."
And Oregon?
"I have heard a lot from them, but they have not given me any inside knowledge
if they are going to offer me or not. I know they had a pretty good QB who I
looked up to. It seems like a pretty good school. They have really been recruiting
me pretty hard for a while now."
What about the Vols?
"My coach talks to them, but I have not spoken to them yet. I know they
are a really good school and a really huge school that plays in front of a big
fan base."
What is going on with Oklahoma State?
"They are new too. They requested some film, and they are currently analyzing
it."
And LSU?
"They called my coach, and they are going to get back in touch with me
when they can start calling. They send me a lot of things. They are just another
good school I am considering."
What will be the main factors when it comes decision time?
"I want to go somewhere where I will be comfortable and get a good education.
I also want a chance to play early, and I want my parents to be able to come
see my games."
Claude reports a 3.5 overall and 3.1 core GPA. He scored a 16 on the first ACT
attempt.
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