What To Know About New Colorado Buffaloes 'Mauler' Larry Johnson III

Johnson wasn't recruited heavily out of Jenkins High School in Savannah, Georgia, but was able to maximize an opportunity at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, becoming a four-star (per 247Sports) junior college transfer. From there, he landed with the Tennessee Volunteers and appeared in 15 games over two seasons in Knoxville.

Johnson was primarily working with Tennessee's first-team offense during spring camp before entering the transfer portal on April 21 and committing to Colorado only days later.

"Mauler" in the Run Game

Colorado offensive line coach Gunnar White spoke with the media following Monday's fall camp practice and shared some intriguing words on Johnson.

"He's a mauler," White said. "The goal is to run the ball, so we've got to have bodies like that with him and Kareem (Harden) and Zy (Crisler) and Xavier (Hill) and Jordan (Seaton). You name it, we're in a pretty good spot."

Co-offensive line coach George Hegamin, who played at 6-foot-7 and well over 300 pounds during his seven-year NFL career, was also asked about Johnson's massive presence on the offensive line.

"When I walk behind Larry, I know how people feel when they walk behind me," Hegamin said. "I told him for the first time, I said, 'Can I ask you a question?' I said, 'Do you know I finally get what people see when they're behind me?' He's that huge.

"The thing that I'm seeing from him on the field is that he's doing a really good job of learning the technique that he needs to achieve. Larry's a big guy, and he plays that way. But at the same time, he's smart and understands exactly what we're asking him to do."

Xavier Hill Praises Larry Johnson III

Another new Colorado offensive lineman who previously played in the SEC, Memphis/LSU transfer Xavier Hill has been impressed by Johnson's work ethic.

"He's been very solid," Hill said of Johnson. "He watches a lot of film. He wants to be good. He always wants to fix the little mistakes he makes every day, and I see that as very good. Having somebody who wants to get better out there at tackle, I played that position as well, so I think he's going to do a tremendous job for us."