Keyshawn Johnson Jr. still not on Arizona’s roster

The wide receiver’s status remains a mystery

Former four-star recruit and Nebraska wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson Jr. announced his decision to transfer to Arizona over six months ago.

But fall camp is a week away and he has yet to partake in football activities and is still not on UA’s roster, head coach Kevin Sumlin told Michael Lev of the Daily Star.

Enrolled as a pre-business student and a member of the Theta Chi fraternity, Johnson’s status with the team remains a mystery, though his Twitter bio still says “student-athlete at the University of Arizona.”

Johnson’s arrival was huge news for Arizona when it first broke. He and his NFL veteran father Keyshawn Johnson have tremendous pull in Southern California recruiting, and wide receiver is a position of dire need for the Wildcats.

Senior Shun Brown serves as the premier target, but the No. 2 option is still up for grabs.

6-foot-5 Shawn Poindexter has received a lot of attention this offseason as a breakout candidate given his success with Khalil Tate last season, but his production has been limited.

Tony Ellison has proven to be a fairly reliable pass catching option, hauling in 37 passes for 598 yards and five touchdowns last season.

The rest of the group is will be relying on guys who have not played in the Pac-12 yet.

Incoming freshmen Tre Adams and Thomas Marcus, both 6-foot-3 and extremely athletic, are two viable options.

Redshirt freshman Stanley Berryhill III had a tremendous spring, and serves as an elusive playmaker in the slot.

Brian Casteel burned his redshirt last season, recording one catch for 24 yards against Purdue in the season finale. Still, he is one of the more promising prospects.

Although Johnson has yet to play college football himself, he can immediately boost the talent at the position. The 6-foot-1, 195 pound receiver was a top-300 recruit with offers to Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State and USC, among many others coming out of high school.

But he has now been away from football for over a year, after he was cited for marijuana possession in June of 2017, and left Nebraska shortly after to return home. In December of 2017, he announced he would be leaving the for good.

Since Johnson did not play for the Cornhuskers, he would be eligible immediately for the Wildcats.

But the clock is ticking for him to prepare and contribute this upcoming season should he finally join the team.

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