FB Adds Two Early Enrollee Freshmen
1/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 19, 2011
WACO, Texas -- Baylor has added two freshmen, JeMarcus Johnson of Lago Vista High School and Trevor Valdez of Copperas Cove High School, to its football program, head coach Art Briles announced Wednesday.
Both student-athletes graduated early from high school, have signed financial aid contracts and are enrolled in Baylor for the spring semester. Both will participate in the program's spring drills in March.
"Both of these guys are great additions to the Baylor football family and we're excited to have them join us," Briles said.
A 6-foot, 170-pound all-purpose back from Lago Vista, Texas, Johnson is rated the 62nd safety prospect nationally by ESPN.com and No. 80 by Scout.com. The three-year varsity letterman played safety as well as running back, wide receiver and kick returner for Lago Vista.
"JeMarcus has an engaging personality with a tremendous amount of ability and confidence," Briles said. "He hasn't met a person he doesn't like."
Johnson scored 30 touchdowns as a senior at LVHS in 2010 (16 rushing, 12 receiving, one kick return and one punt return). He earned second-team all-state honors from the Associated Press and was named the 2010 District 13-2A most valuable player as a running back last season after leading Lago Vista to a 13-1 record and to the state semifinals. He totaled 1,453 yards rushing and caught 25 passes for 624 yards as a senior.
As a return man, Johnson totaled more than 1,000 career yards in kick and punt returns. As a junior in 2009, Johnson totaled 212 yards and three TDs rushing, 479 return yards with two TDs as well as 61 tackles and three interceptions defensively en route to being named a first-team All-District 25-2A safety. Also a star track athlete, Johnson broke four school track and field records as a junior in 2010: 4x100, 4x400, long jump and triple jump.
Valdez is a 6-foot-2, 265-pound defensive lineman from Copperas Cove, Texas, who is ranked as the nation's No. 32 defensive tackle prospect by ESPN.com and 45th nationally by Rivals.com.
"Trevor has a high motor and a high vision," Briles said, "that's what I like about him. He has a plan and a purpose."
Valdez was named the 2010 District 12-5A defensive most valuable player after totaling 37 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, seven pressures and three forced fumbles as a senior. He was named a second-team All-District 12-5A selection as a junior in 2009 after totaling 42 tackles and three sacks.
Listed among the state's top 100 recruits overall by Rivals.com and the Waco Tribune-Herald, Valdez is also rated a top-10 defensive tackle prospect by TexasHSFootball.com and a top-25 lineman by Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Valdez ranks No. 4 among all recruits on the Waco Tribune-Herald's CenTex Top 25 listing.
The two freshmen join two mid-year transfers, Nick Johnson of Navarro College and Josh Wilson of Kilgore College, to bring to four the total number of newcomers who have joined the program this semester.
| BAYLOR 2011 NEWCOMERS | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown (schools) |
| JeMarcus Johnson | DB | 6-0 | 170 | Fr. | Lago Vista, Texas (Lago Vista HS) |
| Nick Johnson | OL | 6-2 | 290 | Jr. | Waco, Texas (Waco HS/Navarro College) |
| Trevor Valdez | DT | 6-2 | 265 | Fr. | Copperas Cove, Texas (Copperas Cove HS) |
| Josh Wilson | DB | 6-0 | 195 | Jr. | Humble, Texas (Humble HS/Kilgore College) |
