SPRINGFIELD -- Missouri State head football coach Bobby Petrino has landed greatly-coveted quarterback Jaden Johnson who accepted a scholarship offer from the Bears late Friday.
Johnson, who redshirted during the 2019 season at Southern Miss, will be eligible immediately at MSU and have four seasons to play in Springfield.
The 6-foot-2, 208-pound signal caller was rated as the No. 20 pro-style quarterback in the nation by 247sports.com his senior year at Kirby High School in Memphis, Tenn. He was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN and a three-star standout from Rivals and 247sports. Johnson also earned acclaim as the No. 18 prospect in his home state of Tennessee.
"We recruited Jaden at Louisville and really connected during that process," said Petrino. "He's a dynamic quarterback who has the potential to really be a game changer for our program."
In 2018, he led coach Chester Flowers' Kirby High School offense that averaged 43.1 points per game at the Class 5A level. The Cougars finished 11-2 overall and made their first state quarterfinal appearance since 1998. He averaged 199.1 yards of total offense per game for Kirby and accounted for 19 touchdowns. Johnson was a Commercial Appeal All-Metro Team selection in 2018 and earned a spot in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game.
In addition to scholarship offers from Louisville and Southern Miss out of high school, Johnson also received offers from Georgia, Indiana and Memphis.
Missouri State also added a highly-touted defensive end during this week's extended signing period with the addition of transfer Isaiah Sayles from San Diego Mesa Community College. He is a 6-foot-33, 230-pounder who will be a junior this fall.
Originally from San Antonio, Texas (Wagner High School, Sayles posted a team-high 69 total tackles at San Diego Mesa in 2019, including 37 solos and 18 tackles for loss. He also contributed 10 sacks for the Olympians and had an interception. The Region III All-California first-teamer helped coach Gary Watson's Mesa squad to a 7-4 campaign and No. 17 final ranking in 2019 with a trip to the Patriotic Bowl. He notched a team-high 10 tackles vs. El Camino with 2 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss in the Patriotic Bowl contest.
As a freshman, Sayles, brought down 23 ball carriers in 7 appearances with 9 solo stops, 6 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. As a high school senior, Sayles registered 100 total tackles with 39 solos in addition to 51 tackles for loss for coach Charles Bruce's Thunderbirds with 12.0 sacks and 14 hurries.
--- Missouri State Athletics ---