Lions sign Justin Johnson to National Letter of Intent

Johnson, 6'2 native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, played at Roosevelt High School for coach Pam Hoiland. Also a baseball player at Roosevelt, Johnson was an all-state selection this past year and was the City Champion by a record 11 strokes. He finished seventh in the state tournament as a senior and was also named academic all-state and all-conference.

As a junior, Johnson helped lead his team to a Conference and State Championship. He finished 16th in the state tournament, and fourth in the conference. He was an academic all-state and all-conference selection as a junior, as well.

Johnson's father played football at the University of Sioux Falls, and his sister is a member of the track team at USF.

"Justin comes from the same high school as a former Lion standout, Danny Sinksen," Greim said. "Danny was a four-year traveler during his time here and I think Justin can have a similar impact. He's a big, strong kid who has a nice combination of length and precision. We're fortunate that he wanted to get a bit further south so he could work on his game for a better portion of the year than he could up in Sioux Falls. He'll be a good fit at Southern and we think he'll be able to push for a travel spot right away.

"With us losing three seniors, we're going to be pretty young next year. But it's important that we not only get freshmen with some good upside, but we also get freshmen who can step in and contribute immediately."

Greim is looking to add up to three more players for the 2007-08 season.