Grad transfer defensive lineman Ryan Johnson will take an official visit to Northwestern on the weekend of Jan. 13, he told WildcatReport.

The former Stanford Cardinal just completed his fifth year at Stanford and has one year of eligibility remaining due to the "free" COVID year of 2020.

Northwestern is looking to bolster its interior defensive line after finishing last in the Big Ten and 119th in the country in rushing defense in 2021. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Johnson played defensive end in Stanford’s 3-4 alignment but will likely move inside to defensive tackle in the Wildcats’ 4-3 front.

Johnson was a rotational player for the Cardinal but had his most productive season in 2021, his fifth year on The Farm. He played in all 12 games, with four starts, and finished with 16 tackles and .5 TFL.

For his career, Johnson played in 32 games and made 26 total tackles. He redshirted in 2017, was in and out of the lineup in 2018 and 2019, and played in all 18 games over the last two years.

Northwestern loses four members of its defensive tackle rotation next season. Trevor Kent, Jeremy Meiser and Joe Spivak, who all started games for the Wildcats in 2021, are graduating. Sophomore Te-Rah Edwards, who played sparingly this season, transferred to Illinois.

The Wildcats also signed two defensive tackles in their 2022 recruiting class: Austin Firestone and Brendan Flakes.

Johnson has received at least 17 offers since entering the portal on Nov. 29. However, just two of them – from Northwestern and Virginia – are from Power Five programs. He also reported offers from SMU, FAU, Marshall, Western Kentucky, Liberty, Akron, Buffalo, New Mexico State, Middle Tennessee State, Samford, Eastern Kentucky, Tulane, Buffalo, UAB and Alabama A&M, where his brother, Trai, played.

An Axis, Ala., native, Johnson was a four-star, Rivals250 prospect coming out of Mobile St. Paul’s in 2017. He was ranked as the No. 7 defensive end in the nation and collected offers from the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and USC – though, interestingly, not Northwestern.

According to the Stanford website, Johnson holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and a Bachelor’s in Economics.