51 DAYS TO KICKOFF: Chase Johnston

Chase Johnston True Freshman 6-3 | 225 Carl Junction, Mo. Bio

Position: Linebacker Previous College: None Projection: Redshirt Status: On Scholarship

Andrew Chase Johnston (b. Sept. 30, 1996) is a freshman linebacker who prepped at Carl Junction High School.

A four-year letter-winner for the Bulldogs under head coach Doug Buckmaster, Johnston helped Carl Junction 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.

We snagged Johnston, who also camped with Arkansas and Missouri, right as his recruitment blew up:

This past April (2014) in Duncanville, Texas, at the NUC Southwest 5-Star Showcase, Johnston took home the co-MVP award at his position, earning high praise from camp scouts.

"Johnston may have been the best looking player at any position in this camp," representatives of the camp have written on the newest K-State commitment. "But what really set him apart from his peers was his ability to turn and run with the fastest backs in the camp. This guy gobbles up yardage like a real estate tycoon buying up riverfront property. Johnston runs so effortlessly and can move sideline to sideline to make plays. He should be considered a major sleeper at this point."

Johnston, who is projected at middle linebacker, but also could fill the role vacated by Elijah Lee as a third-down pass rusher, is not exactly a stone-cold lock to redshirt this season.

Here's what else Rivals had to say about him:

Sleeper: Linebacker Chase Johnston has a big frame, a large wingspan and is the kind of player Bill Snyder has regularly turned into a big-time playmaker during his career in Manhattan.