Prediction Preview: Ju'Juan Johnson's announcement

The next domino to drop in Louisiana’s 2024 class is Lafayette Christian Academy’s Ju’Juan Johnson.

On Saturday, Johnson will make a public commitment to one of his three finalists. The ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. at LCA.

Johnson has a final group of LSU, Colorado and Florida.

Which direction are things trending with the four-star prospect ahead of the weekend reveal?

Here’s The Bengal Tiger staff’s preview.

Rankings Breakdown

On3 Consensus: 4-star, No. 18 ATH, No. 4 in Louisiana, No. 195 overall

On3 Rankings: 4-star, No. 12 ATH, No. 2 in Louisiana, No. 116 overall

Prospect Outlook

Johnson has played quarterback at Lafayette Christian Academy, but all three schools in his final group are recruiting him at cornerback.

Johnson landed his offer from LSU after working out at defensive back during summer camp in June 2022. Colorado and Florida both jumped into the mix six months later with verbal scholarship offers in December 2022.

This past season, Johnson helped LCA get back to the state title game for the sixth consecutive season. He completed 220-of-369 passes for 4,010 yards, 43 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,280 yards and 17 touchdowns on 206 carries.

The Bengal Tiger Staff’s Take

Johnson has been a mainstay around LSU’s campus over the past year.

He made visits to campus during the offseason, then earned an offer from LSU’s staff during summer camp. From there, he was in New Orleans for LSU’s season opener against Florida State. And that was just one of multiple LSU games Johnson attended this season.

Johnson then used the month of January to make visits to out-of-state programs. He led things off with a trip to Florida, then followed it up with a visit at Texas. From there, Johnson made his first visit to Colorado, where he’s being recruited by new head coach Deion Sanders and staff.

Just days after returning home from Boulder, Johnson revealed his plans to make a college announcement within the week.

Given he has not visited LSU since before the New Year, sources indicated the LSU staff would have liked to get Johnson back on campus before he made a decision. But with the NCAA Dead Period in effect until the end of February, no in-person contact is allowed with recruits.

From speaking with multiple sources, the feeling is that Colorado caught his attention in a big way on his unofficial visit. So much so that there are growing expectations that he commits to the Buffaloes on Saturday.

LSU has worked the phone lines all week in hopes of getting Johnson’s early pledge, but the reality remains that the Early Signing Period is 10 months away, and the traditional National Signing Day is 12 months away.

If Johnson does commit to Colorado this weekend, the LSU staff still has plenty of time to convince the Lafayette native to stay home for college. With Johnson likely to still make it to LSU for unofficial visits, a summer camp workout, game visits in the fall and an official visit, there’s ample opportunity for the Tigers to get Johnson into the boat by December’s Early Signing Period. Toss in coaches on the road, an in-home visits from Brian Kelly and the staff, and the press will remain heavy when it comes to the push from the LSU staff.

It’s recruiting, so there could always still be twists in the 11th hour. Still, with 24 hours until his decision is revealed, The Bengal Tiger staff circles Colorado as the team out front, and On3 National Recruiting Analyst Sam Spiegelman and The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon both logged On3 RPM picks for the Buffaloes. But with 10 months until December, the reality remains that if Johnson picks the Buffaloes, LSU will still have many chances to flip the Louisiana four-star into the class.