Former 4-star linebacker Anthony Johnson has been dismissed by Rutgers football. In a statement released by the program on Monday night, head coach Greg Schiano said, “Anthony Johnson has been dismissed from the program due to a violation of team rules.”
Brian Fonseca of NJ Advance Media is reporting that Johnson “was arrested Monday on charges of simple assault and theft relating to an incident last week.”
As a true freshman last season, Johnson saw limited action on special teams and maintained his redshirt. He was the third highest rated recruit in the 2022 recruiting class for Rutgers behind 4-star linebacker Moses Walker, 4-star offensive lineman Jacob Allen and right ahead of 4-star running back Samuel Brown.
Johnson played for and attended Neumann Goretti Catholic high school in South Philadelphia prior to Rutgers. He was ranked No. 241 in the 2022 recruiting class per 247 Sports composite rankings. Johnson was also listed as the No. 23 linebacker in the class and No. 8 overall in the state of Pennsylvania. He had reported offers from 16 different power five programs including Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, Texas A&M, Auburn, Nebraska and Oklahoma State among others.
This marks the second former 4-star linebacker to leave the program this offseason. Khayri Banton out of Newark, NJ entered the transfer portal in December. Even so, Rutgers returns starters Deion Jennings and Tyreem Powell for next season. In addition, former team sack leader Mohamed Toure and another former 4-star prospect Moses Walker are expected to return from injury. Despite the depth at the position, it’s a shame that Johnson was unable to fulfill his potential at Rutgers. Hopefully, he can take advantage of any second chance that he does receive with another program.
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