Virginia Tech Signing Day capsule 2021: Nykelius Johnson

One of the first players in Virginia Tech's 2021 class is officially in the fold: West Florence (S.C.) athlete Nykelius Johnson.

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5.5 three-star, Unranked nationally or at his position. No. 11 senior in South Carolina.

East Carolina, Mississippi State, NC State, West Virginia

Johnson camped at Virginia Tech in the Summer before his junior year, at which point the Hokies saw potential in the high school running back as a multi-tool threat. He got interest from RB, slot, and DB position coaches from the VT staff.

He accepted his VT offer late in his junior year, when the Orange and Maroon still represented the only program to show faith in him. While other programs tried to enter the mix in the past year, he remained steadfast in his VT pledge. Home-state South Carolina never offered, and could have been the one program to shake him.

Johnson is a player whose physical talent is readily apparent. He has the quickness and fluidity of movement in the short range to be an impressive player with the ball in his hands or defending against wideouts.

He does seem to lack some experience, which has both its positives (the risk-taking has paid off regularly in high school) and its negatives (he tends to have iffy technique, particularly on defense). The natural see-ball get-ball mindset that he brings is something that will be highly beneficial when he continues to develop.

West Florence finished 5-3. Johnson has eight tackles, two for loss. On offense, he had eight rushes for 193 yards (24.1 per carry) and two touchdowns and two receptions for 17 yards. He's also returned one punt for a touchdown and had a 37-yard kickoff return.

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