73 Days to Purdue Football: Daniel Johnson

This was supposed to go up yesterday, my now 8 year old had a birthday party....at the house. Anyway, I’ve recovered and we’re just going to pretend like this isn’t a day behind.

Daniel Johnson - 6th Year Senior

London, Ontario Canada

Previous Team - Kent State

6’5”, 305

Offensive Tackle

2023 Projection - Starter/Key Depth

Johnson, born in Nairobi, Kenya, moved with his family to Canada in his youth. He and his brothers Alfred and George thrived in athletics. George (Johnson) plays receiver in the CFL, Alfred plays basketball at Fanshawe College in Canada and Daniel is plying his sports trade at Purdue after a 4 season detour at Kent State.

Daniel is a super senior keen on saving his best for last. Having him on this roster is a bit of a surprise, but after a knee injury against Minnesota ended his 5th year senior season on October 1, he decided to cash in his Covid year and give it one more shot with the new coaching staff. The former staff brought him in to start at tackle, and he’ll have the opportunity to compete for that spot in the fall.

At the moment, I’ve got Johnson penciled in as the starter at right tackle. The staff brought in three potential tackles from the transfer portal, so nothing is set in stone, but Johnson has the same opportunity as everyone else to win the right tackle spot. Even if he doesn’t start the game (not saying he wont’t) he’ll see plenty of playing time if his knee is right. The offense requires the offensive line to run all over the field and Johnson’s athletic ability should translate well on screen passes and draws.

The offensive line will be a major story in fall camp. I have no idea what it will look like against Fresno State, but I expect to see Johnson on the field in some capacity if he’s healthy.