#55 Chase Johnston |
Position: Linebacker Previous College: None Projection: Scout Team Status: On Scholarship |
Andrew Chase Johnston (b. Sept. 30, 1996) is an athletic and hard-hitting linebacker who will compete for playing time in the linebacker rotation as a redshirt freshman while also adding support on special teams.
Johnston used the 2015 season to redshirt and develop. It paid off when he earned the program’s Overachiever Award as the top freshman in strength and conditioning. He logged an assisted tackle for White in the spring game.
A four-year letter-winner for the Bulldogs under head coach Doug Buckmaster, Johnston helped Carl Junction High School to earn an 11-1 record and reach the third round of the Missouri Class 4 playoffs in 2014.
He was regarded as the 39th-best inside linebacker nationally by ESPN and the 47th best by Scout.com, including the top middle linebacker in the state of Missouri. Rivals.com had him ranked 15th in Missouri.
Designated a first-team All-Missouri Class 4 linebacker by the state’s coaches, as well as the Missouri media association, Johnston also was named to the American Family Insurance All-USA Missouri Team.
He was named the league Defensive Player of the Year, in addition to earning all-league and all-district honors.
Johnston carded 100 tackles, including 18 tackles for loss and seven sacks, as a senior. Watch his high school highlights here. He also was a first-team all-state honoree in the shot put and lettered three years in basketball.
His father, Vince, played wide receiver at Pittsburg State, while Johnston's grandfather, Nelson Toburen, played linebacker at Wichita State, and later for the 1961 and 1962 NFL Champion Green Bay Packers.