Rowan Johnston '24 Recruiting Profile

Coach's Statement:

To whom it may concern,

This is a brief summary about Rowan Johnston’s work ethic, knowledge of the game, and out-right athletic ability during an interesting time as a young man entering high school during a pandemic.

In terms of Rowan’s work ethic, there was only one other player out of fifty kids in his freshman class who even came close to his type of drive. Every sprint, every drill, every rep was pushed to 150%. Rowan was the player who gets frustrated when a coach tries to give him a breather or rotate him out. He understood others need a chance, which he was openly in favor of, but he was HUNGRY. With his limited reps - he outshined all his competition. What I wish I had film to show you was the lack of mistakes and lack of wasted time during his reps. Rowan is the player who doesn't waste time or goof off. He knows he has a responsibility when it's his turn up - and boy does he take advantage of it. On top of all that he was the player I never had to question or check - I knew he was always doing the right thing. 

His football IQ is far ahead of everyone else's. To say he loves football wouldn't properly capture his passion for the game. I can say with the utmost confidence that football is Rowan's priority. One of the first things that stood out to me as the Head Coach was his control over his body. Rowan understood how to properly make football moves, to position himself to either make the play, save a play from netting negative yards, make the catch, or make a defender look like he's on ice skates. He grasped the aspects of football faster than most would. Rowan adapted to the playbook extremely fast, and was able to adjust and assist his QB/Linemen to make sure the plays were executed properly. If any kind of adjustment was needed, Rowan was usually the first one I’d express my ideas to. He was also that player I leaned on to get a message out to the team. 

To quickly summarize his athletic ability, Rowan’s father is a big guy, so you know there is room for him to grow. He was the fastest kid on the team by a long shot. Like stated above, he makes phenomenal football moves at the right times. The one criticism I’d make is that he needs to stop dancing! However, his dance moves generally netted positive yards. So he knows when to turn it on and when to lower his shoulder. He is by no means undersized. After a year or two of lifting with the varsity, Rowan will be a stocky, hard to tackle running back. 

The only thing I hope he grows into, and this is no fault of his own (mind you, as I’m writing this he is only a Freshman) - is if he can gather the ability to be a bit more vocal as a leader, and keep his teammates as focused and attentive to detail as he is. I feel this is only because he is young and on a new team. I wholeheartedly believe he will be a serious force to be reckoned with as a leader on the varsity team for years to come. 

Sincerely,

Christopher Carbonara 

Head Coach

Trumbull High School Freshman Football

[email protected]

(203) 979-0597