A former five-star Tennessee commit entered the transfer portal on Wednesday afternoon. Quarterback Hunter Johnson was originally a Tennessee commit in 2015 but switched his commitment to Clemson that December. After his freshman year at Clemson in 2017, Johnson then transferred to Northwestern in 2018.
According to multiple reports, after a four-year career at Northwestern, Johnson is officially in the transfer portal.
As a recruit in the class of 2017, Johnson was one of the most sought-after prospects coming out of high school. According to 247 Sports, Johnson was the top-ranked player from the state of Indiana and the second-ranked pro-style quarterback in the class.
In the fall of 2015, Tennessee was all over Johnson. The five-star quarterback took an unofficial visit to Knoxville on July 25 and then made his commitment to Tennessee on Aug. 23. Then, on Nov. 7, Johnson took another visit to Tennessee to see then-head coach Butch Jones. However, in early December of 2015, Clemson offered Johnson a scholarship before an unofficial visit a few days later.
On Dec. 12, Johnson took one last unofficial visit to Tennessee before decommiting on Dec. 14.
See Also from RTI: Where Tennessee Football Lands in Final SEC Power Rankings
After his decommitment, Johnson did not have any bad words to say about Tennessee or coach Jones.
“It was definitely tough,” Johnson said about the decision according to Bleacher Report. “Built great relationships there. I respect the heck out of the coaching staff at Tennessee and I felt like the decision for me to go to Clemson was the right one and I’m confident about it. The fanbase at Tennessee is really special and the coaches there are great coaches and I’m confident they’re going in the right direction too”
Interestingly enough, though, another recruit did take notice of Johnson’s decision. At the time, four-star quarterback commit Jarrett Guarantano (class of 2016) sent out a tweet that was seemingly in reference to Johnson’s decision.
“Lol, if you want to go win SEC championships & go to big time bowl games come to Tennessee,” Guarantano said in a tweet on Dec. 15, 2015, according to USA Today Sports. “Jump on board or just watch us win. Simple”
After he transferred to Northwestern following his one year at Clemson, Johnson was then forced to sit out the 2018 season due to the previous transfer rules. In 2019, Johnson had five starts in six games but regressed in 2020 with only two appearances on the season. The former five-star was voted a team captain in his final season in 2021, but only saw appearances in three games throughout the year.
Originally from Brownsburg, IN, Johnson stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs in at 200-pounds. Former Tennessee commit and five-star quarterback prospect Hunter Johnson entered the transfer portal on Tuesday after a four-year career at Northwestern.
