The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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60 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 BY AUSTIN FOX George Johnson did a little bit of everything on offense at Stuart (Fla.) Martin County, serving as both a quar- terback and wideout during his career. Despite that impressive versatility, he received just a three-star ranking from Rivals.com and often gets over- looked in U-M's class that includes two five-stars and 13 more four-stars. Johnson revealed he is perfectly fine with others underestimating him, however, and has actually grown ac- customed to it throughout his life. "I'm coming to Michigan with a big chip on my shoulder and a lot to prove," he insisted. "I like being the underdog. When people talk about U- M's class, my name isn't one that pops up or gets talked about. "I use that as motivation — you have to make people talk about you. My plan is to step onto that field and make an impact from day one." Where Johnson would play was un- known as recently as December, but U-M officially tabbed him a wide re- ceiver after his signing became official. "They definitely want me to play wideout," he confirmed. "I like having the ball in my hands in the open field and being physical, whether that re- quires me to run through guys or block them through the whistle. "I've really come to model my game after [New England Patriots tight end] Rob Gronkowski, because of the ag- gressive way in which he plays. He also contributes to his team in so many ways whenever he's on the field." Johnson may actually be similar to Gronkowski off the field as well. The NFL star is known for his outgoing, en- ergetic personality, something Johnson shares with both him and the man that recruited him to Michigan. "Coach Don Brown and I have the same personality," he noted. "He's the kind of guy who grabs everyone's attention whenever he walks into a room, and I feel like I'm the same way. We're both very enthusiastic people." Although Johnson grew up 1,274 miles from Ann Arbor, he explained the genuineness that Brown and others at U-M showed him during his visits there made Michigan special. "If I had to describe what U-M means to me, I would say it's the bond the incoming class all shares with one another," he noted. "We all know each other and don't have to worry about being strangers once we get there. "I'm close with a lot of the guys, but have formed the tightest connections with [five-star defensive tackle] Chris- topher Hinton and [three-star wide- out] Mike Sainristil. "We all want to win a national cham- pionship while we're there and end our losing streak to Ohio State." If Johnson can help that happen, he won't be overlooked anymore. ❑ George Johnson Arrives At U-M With 'A Big Chip' On His Shoulder STATISTICS (mostly at quarterback) Year Pass Yards Pass TD 2018 1,174 10 Other: 442 yards and 9 TDs rushing 2017 1,366 14 Other: 526 yards and 7 TDs rushing 2016 212 2 Other: 1,173 yards, 9 TDs rec.; 2 rush TDs 2015 1,280 — Other: 600 rushing yards HONORS • FloridaHSFootball.com Class 7A All- State first team in 2016; he was an honorable mention pick in 2018. • Treasure Coast Male Athlete of the Year for the 2017-18 school year. • Associated Press Class 7A All-State second-team wideout in 2016. RECRUITMENT • Pledged June 25, 2018, after taking his official visit to Ann Arbor June 22. • Chose the Wolverines over notable offers from Florida State, Georgia and Nebraska, among others. • Former assistant Jim McElwain headed his recruitment, but defen- sive coordinator Don Brown and new quarterbacks coach Ben McDaniels picked it up after McElwain left. DID YOU KNOW? • Played four years of varsity basketball. THEY SAID IT • Rivals.com Florida recruiting analyst Rob Cassidy: " Where he ends up playing will determine how successful he is. … You plug him in wherever you can, because he has the ability to play running back, wide re- ceiver and even on the defensive side of the ball. You like that versatility, but the knock on him is that he doesn't really have a natural position — he's the kind of guy you get in camp and figure out the rest later, because he's such a high-level athlete." GEORGE JOHNSON WIDE RECEIVER 6-0 • 181 MARTIN COUNTY H.S. STUART, FLA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — — — ✪ ✪ ✪ 1,143 98* 142 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 62* 110 * Ranked as an athlete 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 2019 Projection When Michigan kicks things off in 2019, the wide receiver room will be full of talent in juniors Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones, and redshirt sophomores Tarik Black and Oliver Martin. Ronnie Bell will likely make a significant impact next year after he hauled in eight catches for 145 yards and two scores in 2018 as a rookie, and fellow sophomore Michael Barrett is also listed by U-M at wideout. Johnson will probably enter be- hind all six of the aforementioned players on the depth chart next sea- son, but could be asked to contrib- ute right away if one of them goes down with injury. Johnson was a four-year varsity letterman at Martin County High School in both foot- ball and basketball. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 60 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019