There is a stigma concerning power spread high school quarterback recruits, and their ability to play the position at the collegiate level. Most come to a fork in the road after high school in which they either go on to sling the pigskin or end up playing any one of the other skill positions on the field.
In Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) quarterback Johnny Langan’s case, it’s quarterback or nothing. Or, at least, that’s where he stands at the moment.
“I’m not really accepting any non-quarterback offers,” Langan told NJ.com. “But Syracuse, they offered me as a big skill. They said I’d be able to play some wildcat and some cool packages like that, but…”
Langan already holds five offers from Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Boston College and Buffalo, but knows he’d likely have fielded more overtures if recruited as an athlete.
“Like, If I wanted to play linebacker, I’d probably have triple the offers I have right now,” he said. “I had like Wisconsin come in and they said like hey, we’ll offer you if you wanna play linebacker. I said no. I just really want to play quarterback. That might limit my schools, but that’s what I wanna do.”
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Standing 6-4, 220 pounds, Langan is built like a big outside linebacker or defensive end, despite his ability to make plays as a signal caller.
“Coaches like my play-making ability,” he said. “I make big plays.”
But Langan’s hometown school appreciates his upside at quarterback and offered him as one, just hours before Saturday’s Junior day festivities began.
“When coach (Jerry) Kill took over, that was right around when coach Nunzio (Campanile) was at the Under Armour All-American game,” he said. “And they linked up and they talked about it and they said coach Kill was really interested in me. And he said he wants to have me come down and talk to him.”
Hence, Langan got right to business during last Saturday’s early morning Rutgers visit, where accompanied by his head coach Nunzio Campanile.
“I went in and I got on the white board and I wrote down a bunch of plays,” he said. “And (Kill) just really tested my football IQ. And then after that, we talked about his system and what he does. And the, he offered me.”
Rutgers is now in the mix since offering the stud 6-4, 220-pounder.
“The coaching staff is awesome, but it will be really interesting to see what they do this year,” he said.
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In the meantime, Langan will continue to work to become the best version of himself he can possibly be.
“Some of the things I’m working on include shortening up my throwing motion and working my feet to the target,” he said. “I mean, I was pretty good at it last year before I got injured. When I got injured, I couldn’t really move around and it created bad habits for not only my feet but my arm. But this year should be a lot different.”
In the second game of 2016, Langan says he suffered a lower body injury, but played through the pain.
“I got hurt in the second game of the year” he said. “My ankle was broken all the way up until I finished playing.”
Still, he compiled 1,998 passing yards and 19 TDs (to 11 INTs) and led his team to a record 7-4, while also rushing for 129 yards and four scores on the ground.
Now fully healthy, Langan is pumped to prepare for his senior campaign.
“It’s feeling a lot better,” he said. “I’ve been doing pretty much everything I would be doing in a normal off-season so far. I didn’t really have any time to rest it so it took longer than normal. But I’m fine now.”
The University of Central Florida, Pitt, West Virginia, UConn, Maryland and Indiana are schools potentially next in line to offer, with Langan’s decision to come later this year.
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“I’ll see where I am in May,” he said. “I want to really start trying to make decisions around May.”
In 2017, Langan has visited Pitt and Rutgers for personal treks and Boston College, Syracuse and West Virginia for junior days. And he’ll visit UConn next weekend for junior day as well as Louisville for a personal visit soon.
But in the end, his decision will come down to this: “I mean, really just the coaches, someone I can really thrive with, someone that will will correct me and someone who really knows what they’re doing with their offense and somewhere I’ll fit in their offense.”
And now that Rutgers has entered the race for Langan’s services, the staff has seemingly prioritized him within their top group of quarterback targets.
“I’m pretty sure I’m their No. 1 for 2018, to be honest.”
Todderick Hunt may be reached at thunt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TodderickHunt. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.
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