Aaron Johnson: Invisible now, big-time later

Unless you're one of those who follow Central Cabarrus football closely, you've yet to hear of Aaron Johnson. You will.

Right now, though, Johnson has two things going against him; he’s a sophomore, and his Vikings, in a rebuilding phase under new coach Chris Shinn, are 0-6.

But let’s look at what he has going for him.

Johnson is already 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, and already has his 40-yard dash speed down in the 4.6-second range. What he doesn’t have is impressive statistics — yet.

“Right now, other teams game-plan to keep the ball away from him,” Shinn said today. “We just try and toss it up and let him go get it.”

Johnson also plays some DB and LB, and Shinn believes he may fill out enough to play linebacker in college. A little more height and a little more speed, though, would make him a classic big receiver.

Johnson is also a starter on the basketball team, and he surprised Shinn a bit with his approach to football.

“Most basketball players are more interested in basketball,” Shinn said. “Aaron really surprised me with the way he attacked in the weight room. He’s really working hard on football.”

If Johnson keeps that up, watch for the BCS schools to take note, sooner rather than later.

--Stan Olson