The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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COMMITMENT PROFILE Local Back Drake Johnson Joins Michigan's 2012 Class Michigan recruiting fol- lowers may not have been expecting a tailback in the 2012 class — unless it was Ohio tailback Bri'onte Dunn, who is currently commit- ted to the Buckeyes — but they got a pleasant surprise on Nov. 8 when Ann Arbor Pioneer running back Drake Johnson received, and im- mediately accepted, an offer from Michigan. Johnson became the 24th commitment of the class, which is now down to 23 fol- lowing the decommitment of Lyndhurst (Ohio) Brush tight end/defensive end Pharaoh Brown. Johnson is the eighth in-state commitment in the Wolverines' 2012 class. Johnson's primary asset at running back is his speed. He is the two-time defend- ing state champion in the 110-meter hurdles, with a winning time of 13.73 sec- onds in his junior year. That was the ninth-fastest non- wind-aided time in 2011 for a high school runner in that event. He used that speed to rack up wasn't a very productive back until his senior season. Pio- neer head coach Paul Test es- timates that Johnson amassed only about 700 yards on the ground in his junior season. A change in scheme, however, allowed him to quadruple that as a senior. "The last few years Pioneer was running spread concepts," Test said, "and that didn't lend well to his abilities. Now we run power, and our offense lends it- self to a downhill runner." That change in offensive Johnson rushed for 2,805 yards in his senior season at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 2,805 yards this fall for the Pioneers, falling just 85 yards short of tying the Michigan single-season state re- cord set by Clinton Township Chip- pewa Valley's Chris Lomasney in 2000. In addition to that speed, the 6-foot tall Johnson brings more power than expected of a 207-pound back in high school, though he doesn't con- sider himself a pound-ahead runner. "I wouldn't say I'm an elusive back, and I wouldn't say that I'm a straight power runner," Johnson said, "but I have a knack for making things happen. I'm really good at making slight cuts and angles, and making somebody miss." For all his natural ability, Johnson FILM EVALUATION Strengths: The first thing that stands out is his desire to keep the ball moving forward after contact. He has a power running style and continually shows the ability to drive the pile for a few extra yards. Johnson does a nice job of accelerat- ing through the line of scrimmage with a clear vision of finding a crease when it's there. When the crease isn't there, he lowers his pads and drives his legs. He shows good football discipline. In other words, it's clear that he follows the play as called instead of bouncing the ball outside all the time like many young backs. Areas to Improve: He is the feature player in his high school offense, so he isn't called on to block that often, if ever. To play in the Michigan backfield, he will be required to stick his nose in the chest of a blitzing linebacker and stop him cold. Based on the film, he should have no problem handling the contact. He certainly doesn't shy away from collisions when he carries the ball. Michigan Player Comparison: A taller and longer version of Mike Hart (2004-07). Hart wasn't a lightning-fast breakaway back, but he still had good speed. He was a master at finding the daylight and hitting the hole. He took all the hits the defenses could dish out, blocked well on passing downs, and always seemed to fall forward for an extra yard or two. scheme should sound famil- iar. Michigan spent the three seasons prior to 2011 running a spread offense under Rich Ro- driguez, and the Wolverines are moving back toward a power offense under head coach Brady Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges. Johnson's straight- ahead, downhill style will translate well to Michigan's schemes. "I'm more of a power kind of tailback, so I like the pro- style and I like running from under center," Johnson said. "With Brady Hoke coming here and his success this season, that is something that is attractive and somewhere I could definitely see myself playing." The offense isn't the only reason Johnson picked Michigan. The Ann Arbor native grew up playing for the Washtenaw Junior Wolverines and has been a Michigan fan his whole life. When Michigan running backs coach Fred Jackson offered Johnson a scholarship, he wasted no time in accepting it. Johnson is currently an unrated prospect by Rivals.com, but should get a ranking once evaluators view his senior film. Moving up to the Division I level in college, he will see a lot of players much bigger than himself. He plans to add muscle mass to be able to handle the pounding. "I want to get a little bigger," he said. "I can definitely put on another 15 pounds and get up to 225." With Hoke's emphasis on power and toughness, that's something that the head coach will be glad to hear. — Tim Sullivan DECEMBER 2011 THE WOLVERINE 63