WEEK-ONE WRECKING MACHINE: Alabama Bound DL Commit Kamhariyan Johnson Explodes in Senior Season Opener with 3 Tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 Sacks & 5 QB Pressures

If you were wondering who was going to make the first real statement of the 2025 high school football season in Alabama, you don’t need to wonder anymore. Kamhariyan Johnson didn’t just show up for his senior season opener—he took the whole thing over. The Alabama defensive line commit opened his final year of high school ball with a performance that looked more like a highlight reel than a stat sheet: 3 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 5 quarterback pressures in a single game. That’s not just “good.” That’s dominant. That’s “we might need to double-team this dude on every snap” type stuff.

From the very first series of the game, Johnson looked locked in. He had the kind of motor you only see in special players—always moving, always chasing, always exploding off the snap like he’d been launched out of a cannon. Whether he was lining up on the edge or kicking inside, it didn’t matter. Offensive linemen didn’t have answers for him. He was slipping blocks, bull-rushing tackles into the quarterback’s lap, and timing his stunts like a veteran defensive end. If this was the tone-setter for his season, then every offensive coordinator on his schedule better start sweating.

And the thing is, this didn’t come out of nowhere. Johnson has been building toward this kind of performance for the last couple years. He’s always had the tools—size, length, burst—but over the last year, he’s started putting it all together. His junior season was impressive enough to catch the attention of Alabama’s staff early, and once they started really digging in on his tape, it became clear he wasn’t just another in-state body. He was a priority. And Alabama made sure they locked him down before the floodgates opened.

But while the commitment was big news this past summer, what’s even more impressive is how Johnson has handled it. He shut down his recruitment early, stayed loyal to the Tide, and then went right back to the grind. That says a lot about the kind of player—and person—Alabama is getting. No drama, no ego. Just work. And when a guy like that is also 6’4″, 260 pounds, and can destroy a pocket in under two seconds, that’s when you know you’ve got a real one.

In this season opener, you could see all the things college scouts rave about. His get-off was explosive—he was consistently the first guy moving after the snap. His hand usage was clean and violent, which let him disengage from blocks and redirect toward the ball. On one sack, he dipped and bent the edge like a college-level pass rusher, staying low and tight, then exploding through the quarterback’s blind side like he knew the play was coming. On another, he looped on a stunt inside and blew up a protection scheme so fast that the quarterback barely had time to step up before he was swallowed whole.

And it wasn’t just the splash plays. Even on snaps where he didn’t hit the stat sheet, Johnson made his presence felt. Five quarterback pressures doesn’t even fully capture it. He collapsed the pocket, forced early throws, flushed the QB off his spot—he dictated the rhythm of the offense, plain and simple. The offense never looked comfortable, and that’s a direct result of how disruptive he was every single down.

What makes it even more exciting for Alabama fans is that Johnson isn’t just a one-position guy. He’s versatile. Some reps he’s playing traditional defensive end. On others, he’s shading inside and causing havoc from the 3-tech. There’s even talk that he could be a hybrid-type piece who can stand up on the edge or slide down depending on the front. That kind of flexibility is gold in today’s college game, especially in the SEC, where defenses need to be able to match up with power-run teams one week and spread-it-out tempo squads the next. Johnson has the body, the skills, and the football IQ to fit into all of it.

The Alabama coaching staff is going to have a field day with him. He already plays with the kind of energy and technique that fit the culture of that defense. His motor runs hot, his pad level stays low, and he plays with violence—real, controlled violence. Not just running around wildly, but knowing how and when to strike, how to finish tackles, how to collapse lanes. That’s the difference between a good high school player and a future SEC starter.

And let’s not ignore the momentum factor here. This type of opening performance sends a message to everyone watching, including other Alabama commits and potential future teammates. Johnson isn’t just a part of the class—he’s setting the tone for it. Recruits notice when guys go out and back up the hype. It builds confidence. It builds leadership. And when you’re building toward being a dominant unit in college, having dudes who are already doing damage at the high school level is how you create that championship pipeline.

One of the best things about Johnson, according to those around him, is that he doesn’t think he’s arrived. He’s still hungry. Still coachable. Still outworking people. He trains like a kid who hasn’t gotten an offer yet. You hear that from teammates, coaches, trainers—he’s not just talented, he’s built different upstairs. That mindset, paired with his physical traits, is a dangerous combination.

Of course, it’s only one game. The season is long. But if this is the baseline for what he’s about to do this year, then buckle up. There’s going to be a lot of Friday nights where quarterbacks are running for their lives, offensive linemen are shaking their heads, and coaches are reworking their entire game plan by halftime. Johnson’s not out here just racking up stats—he’s altering the outcome of games.

There’s something special about watching a high school player who clearly looks like he’s already ahead of the curve. Not just physically dominant, but thinking the game, reading the offense, baiting protections. Johnson was doing all of that in the opener, and he looked comfortable doing it. It was like he’d already spent a year in a college film room. The awareness, the anticipation, the control—he’s not just out there on pure athleticism. He’s out there playing smart, efficient, dangerous football.

It’s hard not to get excited when you see that kind of player already committed to Alabama. You can already imagine him in crimson, wreaking havoc in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturdays. But for now, he’s still got a senior year to finish, and if Week One was any indication, it’s going to be a fun one to follow.

Expect more stat-stuffing. Expect more chaos off the edge. Expect more jaw-dropping plays where you rewind the clip just to say, “Did he really do that?” Because Kamhariyan Johnson isn’t just on his way to Alabama—he’s charging there full speed, knocking down everything in his path along the way.

And this? This was just the beginning.