Phantom Warrior
05-15-2013, 11:50 PM
The final RSCI rankings for the Class of 2013 probably won't come out until sometime in June, but when they do come out, I think it's possible that Jajuan Johnson could find himself the highest ranked MU recruit since RSCI was started in 1998.
The highest-ranked incoming freshman MU has had during that period is Dominic (#36) in the Class of '05.
Robert Jackson was also ranked #36 in that initial '98 class, though, of course, he played for MU for only one season.
Travis was ranked #40 in the Class of '01 to rank second among MU's incoming freshmen.
Jamil was also ranked #40 in the Class of '09.
As for Johnson, last summer he was ranked #57 on RSCI, which was a few slots lower than both Duane and Deonte.
However, at that time Rivals ranked him #61 whereas in their latest ranking he has climbed 26 slots to #35.
The jump in ESPN rankings is even greater: #61 in the summer compared to #27 now, a jump of 34 slots.
His position on Scout's rankings declined one spot, from #31 to #32.
I do not think the other four rankings used last summer for RSCI have been updated, but I'm guessing Johnson has climbed in most, if not all, of those lists.
A high ranking, of course, is no guarantee of D-1 success, let alone immediate D-1 success. I just think the possibility that JJ could find himself as MU's highest ranked incoming player since RSCI began is pretty interesting.
If the three final rankings he's already achieved - #27, #32, and #35 - are any indication of what the other four rankings might be, they would say a lot about what this young man potentially could bring to the table.
The highest-ranked incoming freshman MU has had during that period is Dominic (#36) in the Class of '05.
Robert Jackson was also ranked #36 in that initial '98 class, though, of course, he played for MU for only one season.
Travis was ranked #40 in the Class of '01 to rank second among MU's incoming freshmen.
Jamil was also ranked #40 in the Class of '09.
As for Johnson, last summer he was ranked #57 on RSCI, which was a few slots lower than both Duane and Deonte.
However, at that time Rivals ranked him #61 whereas in their latest ranking he has climbed 26 slots to #35.
The jump in ESPN rankings is even greater: #61 in the summer compared to #27 now, a jump of 34 slots.
His position on Scout's rankings declined one spot, from #31 to #32.
I do not think the other four rankings used last summer for RSCI have been updated, but I'm guessing Johnson has climbed in most, if not all, of those lists.
A high ranking, of course, is no guarantee of D-1 success, let alone immediate D-1 success. I just think the possibility that JJ could find himself as MU's highest ranked incoming player since RSCI began is pretty interesting.
If the three final rankings he's already achieved - #27, #32, and #35 - are any indication of what the other four rankings might be, they would say a lot about what this young man potentially could bring to the table.