2016 Purdue Football Recruiting: Brian Lankford-Johnson Commits

Purdue got a surprise late addition on the eve of signing day as Brian Lankford-Johnson, an unrated running back, committed to Purdue. He is listed as a 6'1" 190 pound running back that could also be a generic "athlete". Purdue was one of his 13 offers, with Louisville, Cincinnati, Central Florida, and South Florida among his offers. Miami, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa State had also at least expressed some interest.

Lankford-Johnson was originally from Minnesota, but played this past season at Palm Bay High School in Melbourne, Florida. He went a little apeshit too. In the first nine games of the year he had 1,696 yards on 141 carries with 21 TDs. Some highlights:

Palm Bay went on to go 8-3 on the season and lost 38-7 to Bishop More in the first round of the state playoffs. Bishop Moore then went on to win the Class 5A state championship in Florida.

It appears Purdue got him despite a weekend visit to Louisville this past weekend:

But Lankford-Johnson rushed for nearly 1,900 yards and 22 touchdowns this past season, and he said he is capable of running a 4.4-second 40-yard dash.

"I think I'm underrated, and I feel like I'm the underdog," he said. "Right now, no one knows who I am, and I like that because I like to prove myself."

Louisville has two bigger backs - Dae Williams and Malik Staples - committed in the class, but Lankford-Johnson thinks he can fill a need as a speed back. He called himself a "home-run hitter."

Welcome aboard, young man!

UPDATE: From Brian himself:

I rushed for 1850 with 23 tds come guys great article tho https://t.co/zakCFKvpn6

— The Brian (@LankfordJohnson) February 3, 2016