The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 45 ❱ FOOTBALL RECRUITING crowned high school national cham- pions. But the time on the sidelines may have been a blessing in disguise. "Sitting on the sidelines gave me a dif- ferent perspective," Johnson said. "I got to see how the coaches run the offense. Coming into this season, I have a better understanding of the game as a whole." He remained in good spirits while re- habbing and serving as an extra coach throughout the fall, but another quan- dary began to take center stage — his re- cruitment. Donovan notched his first offer fol- lowing a fantastic freshman season at Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Baptist when he rushed for 1,336 yards and 10 touch- downs. He earned his first FBS offer from Central Florida that winter when he par- ticipated in the Adidas Freshman All- American Game. Johnson, who also ran a blazing 10.6 100-meter-dash time on the track, transferred to IMG Academy that off- season. From there, his recruitment snowballed, with premier programs like Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC all jumping in the mix as well. Johnson was getting nonstop attention from college coaches and the media. "I paid attention to it, but I really didn't," Donovan said. "I just wanted to work. I love the achievements, but I'm in it for the grind. I loved being able to work with juniors and seniors when I was a freshman." All of the attention and media cover- age slowly started to fade after the in- jury. Johnson's recruitment became a mystery, and his social media showed no signs of life. In fact, his online presence basically went completely dark during the rehab process. "I wanted to focus on myself," he said. "I wanted to focus on my mental and spiritual side, too. I wasn't posting or anything. I wanted to work and come back stronger than before." Derrick, who is also known by his moniker "The Genius" for his back- ground in speed training, marketing and managing, did his best to navigate the process and check the temperature of college coaches who were once over the moon about Donovan. "You can be up in everybody's eyes one day, but the next minute you could be a nobody — even to the people that were behind you," Derrick said. "You have to enjoy the moment, because it's not going to last forever. "At first, we thought it was going to be Ohio State because of Tony. When Tony made the move to Michigan, I told Dono- van 'Watch, Michigan is about to offer.'" Alford recruited the Johnson fam- ily hard during his time at Ohio State. He built strong relationships with both Donovan and Derrick and remained in constant contact after the injury. It took a couple of weeks, but Donovan eventually received what he wanted. "I got the call from Coach Tony, and he said, 'Hello Donovan, you're going to come play for me,'" Johnson said. "That's literally how he said it. We talked a long time. "I have a great relationship with him. He kept it real every single day. I felt it when he said I was going to play for him. I believed him." Alford was right. Donovan didn't even post the offer on social media. He made an unofficial visit to Michigan in June and committed to the Wolverines before the month came to an end. "It meant so much to us that Coach Tony never gave up on us," Derrick said. "He was always there for us. He stuck up for us. He stayed loyal. "I always preach to my son that loyalty is the key. It was a no-brainer when he offered us at Michigan. Once Donovan went there and got to know the school and everything else about the program, he loved it. We talked about it, and he wanted to commit. I feel great about it. I trust Tony." Donovan actually made his way to Ann Arbor from Atlanta, where he was doing position-specific training with private running backs coach Brad Lester, who played at Auburn. It was there where Johnson was able to train side-by-side with former Ala- bama and current Atlanta Falcons run- ning back Jase McClellan. Like Donovan, McClellan was considered a phenom as a freshman, leading Aledo to a state title in one of Texas' biggest classifications. McClellan also suffered a torn ACL of his own — albeit at the collegiate level. McClellan was able to rebound and was the full-time starter for an Alabama team that fell just short against Michigan in last year's Rose Bowl. Donovan said he was able to learn a lot from McClellan, who was taken in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. "Seeing him put in work and compet- ing against them every day was great," Donovan said. "We talked about his in- jury and coming back. He's a great guy. It was great to learn and compete with him." Donovan also spent some time speed training with his father in Savannah be- fore and after his sessions with Lester. "I feel like I'm more explosive," Dono- van said. "I feel like I'm stronger. We've been doing our speed training. But it's more than just football with my dad. We have a really good connection. "I spend more time with him than anybody because he's my trainer as well. He helps me grow and pushes me every day to be a better man as well." Beaming with pride, Derrick added, "I'm very impressed with him. I know he's ready for his last season. I can't wait to see him play again." Fast-forward to early September, and Johnson had his breakout game — 107 yards rushing and a touchdown in IMG's win over Cocoa (Fla.) High, quarter- backed by 2026 U-M commit Brady Hart. It was his first full workload in more than a year and a half. "It felt great," Johnson said. "I just followed my blocks, and our offensive line did their thing. I'm excited. I'm defi- nitely 100 percent." Johnson also is an aspiring architect, a talented artist and an avid reader and golfer. But the football field is where he be- longs. And he believes more big perfor- mances are on the way. "If I do what I believe I can do on the field, my actions will prove it to every- body else," he said. ❑ ❱ Johnson on his recovery process "Those first couple of months were horrible, but you have to be willing to work every single day to come back."