The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/629217
COMMITMENT PROFILE ers is another weapon in the aerial arsenal at Harbaugh's disposal. "He's a terrific route‑runner, number one," Independence head coach Scott Blade said. "He's great in space, knows how to get sep‑ aration, knows how to get open, knows how to recognize coverages. "His hands were the best I've ever coached. His ability to run ter‑ rific routes and find the open spot in coverages, and then his ability after the catch is what separates him a little bit. He knows what to do with the ball once he's got it in his hands." Johnson excels despite a lack of top‑shelf downfield speed, accord‑ ing to Rivals.com Southeast recruit‑ ing analyst Woody Wommack. "Speed isn't really something you can coach into a kid, but guys can get a little bit quicker, a little faster if they train at it," Wommack said. "Once he gets into a college‑ type situation, he could be super‑ productive for a few years, espe‑ cially if he's paired with the right quarterback." With Harbuagh's pedigree of coaching up passers, there's no question Michigan will be able to find the right signal‑caller to give Johnson some outstanding years with the Maize and Blue. — Tim Sullivan FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Nate Johnson is an absolute technician with his routes. He man- ages to get yards of separation on seemingly every play, despite a lack of elite physical tools. He sets up defenders to be wrong-footed and bursts into the open. He also uses subtle body movements to find openings after he reels in the ball, making way for yards after catch even though he's not likely to outrun many defenders. Best of all, he has outstanding hands. He's able to wait until the last moment to put them up for the ball, which doesn't give defenders time to react and break up passes. If he's able to get a fingertip to a ball, he's certain to bring it in, with drops not even relevant to his game. Areas Of Improvement: Johnson doesn't have good size nor elite speed. While it's possible for players to succeed without either of those attributes, he'll have to put in the work in the weight room to squeeze out every bit of potential from his frame, and on the fieldhouse turf to hone his speed and quickness to succeed when his opponents are also Division I players. Michigan Player Comparison: Mercury Hayes (1992-95) was never the big- gest or fastest receiver, but he managed to be extremely productive during his Michigan career thanks to outstanding awareness of the field and how to get open. If Johnson can match Hayes' 2,144 career-receiving yards, Michigan fans will be ecstatic. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com