Jacob Johnson '18 Recruiting Profile

Jacob Johnson, born 9/17/99, Goalkeeper

Hello, my name is Jacob Johnson though I go by "JJ". I am a junior at Monticello High School in Monticello, Minnesota. I play between the pipes in soccer for both my high school and River Eagles Soccer Association.

I have been playing soccer since I was four years old. That is also the age that I began playing hockey and racing BMX bikes. This was very similar for my two older siblings too. By the time I was in second grade, I knew I wanted to be a goal keeper. Between my coaches and my parents, I was only allowed to play every other game in net. They made me grow my game on the field as well, playing both sweeper and attack. During my sixth grade year, I was given the reigns fulltime to my first love, goal keeper. I have thrived at this position and have become dedicated, passionate and dominant.

I constantly work to refine all my skill sets, but I think a key strength is that I see the field incredibly well no matter the speed of play which has served me well in multiple sports including hockey and lacrosse. I’ve always been able to play the angles, track down passes and kicks, find the open player and know when to let a shot fly. My speed and fearlessness allow me to know when to chase after a ball for a cover or kick away, go after a ball from a corner kick while fighting my way through traffic or let a ball go by that I know is going out of play. I own my 18-yard box and play to intimidate my opponents. At six feet tall, 200 pounds I’m built more like a linebacker then a soccer player but have worked to maintain my reactions and quickness. Because of my size and intensity to commandeer the ball, incoming players don’t like to challenge. I have good hand size and arm extension. My goal kicks are very good and my punts travel further than any of the other keepers I've observed. I am also very vocal to direct my defenders as well as make attackers keenly aware of my presence. While I work on individual goal keeper training in the Spring, I also play lacrosse on the high school team in mid-field and attack which enhances my athleticism for soccer.

I am very proud of my hard work I put in at this craft. This past fall, I was honored as All Conference for Goal Keeper. Here are some of my stats and rankings for Minnesota State High School Goalies (261 total with over 1000 minutes played): 1st in the state with 3 PK saves, 2nd for total minutes played at 1300 (sixteen games of the season), 5th for save percentage at .884, 7th for goals against with 16, and 11th with 122 saves.

Until recently, I will admit that I haven’t been as committed to my academics as I have my sport. I am very adept socially and while a strength at times, I have allowed it to distract from my focus on the most critical part of my early years. It has also created tension with my parents who have always been adamant on my effort. Until midway through this year, I really didn’t take my folks, coaches, and teachers seriously about going to college or playing soccer after high school. With a 2.5 GPA heading into the second semester of my junior year I am now playing catch up.

I want to make it crystal clear that I recognize that this is a self-imposed issue because I know I am quite capable in the classroom. Therefore, my effort will be uncontested as I work to raise my GPA above a 3.0 consistently while I target a 3.5 throughout the remainder of high school. It is my mission to get into college and play soccer to earn a degree in Exercise Science. The athletic trainer at my high school has this degree and she has been a mentor for me. I love to learn about how to protect the body, prevent injuries and heal them.

I want everyone reading this to know that I am equally excited to be in the college classroom as I will be playing between the pipes in college. Because of my social nature and confidence from soccer, I am very comfortable speaking in public and one of my favorite classes is Speech. I truly enjoy talking in front of people and am comfortable in debate. My parents believe I should become a lawyer and politician as I think critically and am able to point and counterpoint. Law and government is still something I may consider in college.

My family is big on serving our community. I love working with younger kids. At our church, I help out with vacation bible school every summer. I also attend youth service at the elementary school and help fourth graders with projects and reading. My family goes to Catholic Charities of Minneapolis to feed the homeless 2-3 times each year. This winter, I decided to spend more time with another passion: downhill skiing and even took a job at our local resort as an instructor to new skiers and children.

Thank you for taking the time to read about me. Please contact me if you think I could be a fit in goal and as a student at your university.

Sincerely, Jacob “JJ” Johnson