Wake Forest to host three-star 2025 Florida DL Ean Johnson-Kelley this weekend
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
BRADENTON, Fla. – Beyond being able to play anywhere along the defensive line, there is a uniqueness to the game of Ean “Big Chicken” Johnson-Kelley. Johnson-Kelley has that athletic twitch that is hard to come by with the strength and a destroy all mentality at the snap of the ball. Spring practices with Manatee High School (Bradenton, Fla.) were a success seeing his recruiting profile rise rapidly throughout the Southeast. One of the new connections is getting Johnson-Kelley on campus this weekend.
Camp invites have flowed in for the Class of 2025 prospect with more next level scouts wanting to see in person what they are seeing on tape. In addition to the heightened recruiting interest, Appalachian State, Western Michigan, Florida International, Toledo, UAB, West Virginia, Charlotte, and Wake Forest all offered this spring pushing his tally to 12.
“Spring ball went great,” Johnson-Kelley said. “It was truly a blessing to get a lot of offers during spring ball.”
The offer from the Demon Deacons will be rewarded with a visit from Johnson-Kelley.
“This weekend I am going up to Wake Forest for their camp, and to see coach (Glenn) Spencer (LB) and the rest of their coaches,” Johnson-Kelley stated.
Johnson-Kelley continued covering his rapport with coach Spencer, “He is a pretty cool dude. I have talked to him on the phone. I talked to him last week, he sounded excited to see me. I am ready to go up there this weekend.”
Wake Forest provides more than the opportunity to play ACC football.
“The academics most definitely,” Johnson-Kelley shared. “They are a big academic program. I was talking to my uncle last week; he told me to keep Wake Forest on my list.”
After camping and visiting with Wake, three other travel opportunities may end up on the calendar.
“I am going to camps at USF and Florida State, and I am trying to go to an Alabama camp, and to see my dad who lives in the area,” Johnson-Kelley stated.
Primarily a strongside defensive end for the Hurricanes, Johnson-Kelley roughed up 4S Florida offenses as a sophomore collecting 52 stops, 15.5 tackles for a loss, five sacks, and 20 QB hurries. Next level evaluators see the rising three-star as a future defensive tackle.
Asked if he has a position preference for college, Johnson-Kelley responded with, “No, not really. I think I can play anywhere on the d-line.”
The early strength in the weight room supports the notion of being able to line up anywhere with a 325-pound bench max, 525 on squat, and a 280-pound power clean max. Coupled with his strength, Johnson-Kelley has some new and improved moves that will be showcased this season.
“I have mostly worked on my footwork and pass rush moves,” Johnson-Kelley said. “I’ve been working mostly on my spin move and combos – spin, rip-through, and push-pull.”
Holding an interesting nickname, Johnson-Kelley explained how he earned Big Chicken, “One day I was listening to a song, and the song said, “big chicken, baby.” I caught onto it, and it started getting catchy, and people just started calling me that.”
Duke, UPenn, Jackson State, Texas A&M, Yale, and Florida are among the programs extending an invite to work with Johnson-Kelley this summer.