Former Jeannette standout Johnson commits to Illinois

Bill Beckner | Saturday, December 16, 2023 4:04 p.m.

YSU Athletics

Jeannette native Anthony Johnson competes for Youngstown State during the 2023 season.

High-energy defensive lineman Anthony Johnson, who played briefly at Jeannette where he spearheaded a championship defense, committed to Illinois.

He is a transfer from Youngstown State.

Johnson (6-3, 300) entered the transfer portal after a strong junior season at YSU where he had 25 tackles, 6.5 for loss, and five sacks.

He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Last One, Best One! I-L-L pic.twitter.com/l4sO11lV8D

— Ant (@anttt88) December 15, 2023

He drew numerous offers when he put his name in the transfer portal for a second time (he began his college career at Bowling Green). Among them: Pitt, Arkansas, Houston, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Wisconsin and others.

Johnson helped Jeannette win WPIAL and PIAA titles as a junior in 2017 — he had 134 tackles and 12 sacks — but transferred to Cleveland Heights and earned All-Ohio honors as a senior.

He attended Allderdice, Chartiers Valley and Lincoln Park before coming to Jeannette.