The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/70101
2012 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 6-1 • 205 • Tailback • Pioneer School • Ann Arbor DRAKE JOHNSON ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ who has tremendous numbers. He's a bigger back. He'll be a 215-pound or 220-pound back. He's a physical run- ner, with hand-eye skills catching the football. We had him at camp and got to really test him in some of those ar- eas. In the offense, you've got to have backs who are big enough to protect and big enough and good enough from an athletic standpoint to catch the ball out of the backfield. I really like what Drake does. three-star recruit and the No. 21 player in Michigan by Rivals.com … Awarded three stars by 247Sports.com, and ranked as the No. 17 player in Michigan and the No. 50 running back in the country … Rated as a two-star recruit and the No. 161 running back nationally by ESPN.com … Listed as the No. 130 prospect in the Midwest by SuperPrep. Brady Hoke's Comments: "He's a guy port: "He's a good, strong and steady back who was very productive in high school. Tom Lemming of Prep Football Re- " ning back for three seasons … Also saw action at quarterback, wide receiver, punt returner, kick returner and defen- Career Totals: Primarily played run- " was born on March 8, 1994, in Garden City, Mich. … Has a maximum bench press of 250 pounds and a squat of 425 pounds, and sports a 36-inch vertical jump … Plays football and runs track at Pioneer but actually attends Com- munity High School in Ann Arbor … His cousin, Lisa Canty, ran track at U-M from 2006-08 … Parents are both Michi- gan grads … His mother, Pam St. John, is in her 29th year as the head coach of the Michigan cheer- leading team … Joins a long line of former Pio- neer players to suit up at Michigan, including safety Don Dufek (1973-75), de- fensive back Keith Bos- tic (1979-82), linebacker and coach Andy Moeller (1983-86), and defensive lineman Will Heininger (2008-11). Rankings: Ranked as a Personal: Drake Anthony Johnson sive back… Carried the ball 596 times for 4,318 yards (7.2 yards per rush) and 56 touchdowns … Had 24 recep- tions for 440 yards (18.3-yard average) and five scores … Completed 7 of 17 passes (41.2 percent) for 131 yards with a touchdown and an interception … Returned five punts for 173 yards (34.6 yards per return) and had one kickoff return for 45 yards. Senior Season: Rushed Johnson, Rivals.com's No. 21 player in Michigan, racked up 2,800 yards and 37 touch- downs on 343 carries (8.2 yards per attempt) as a senior at Ann Arbor Pioneer. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 300-yard outings … Totaled 576 yards rushing and scored eight touchdowns in Pioneer first- and second-round playoff wins … Held to just 43 yards on 16 carries (2.7-yard average) in a 21-0 playoff loss to Catholic Central … Completed 5 of 14 pass attempts for 90 yards on the season … Caught five balls for 83 yards and a score in 2011 … Intercepted a pass … Named Associ- ated Press Division I-II all-state first team (unanimous selection) and the AnnAr- bor.com Washtenaw County Player of the Year … Member of the Detroit Free Press Dream Team. Junior Season: Started at running for 2,800 yards and 37 touchdowns on 343 at- tempts (8.2-yard average) in leading Pioneer to a 9-3 record and a berth in the Division I state quar- terfinals … His 2,800-yard rushing total ranks sixth all time among single- season efforts produced in the state of Michigan; his 343 attempts rank fifth; and his 37 touch- downs rank ninth … Pro- duced 11 100-yard games, including seven 200-yard performances and three 668 yards (6.3 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns, and went over the century mark three times … Had one reception for 23 yards. All-Star Games And Camps: Selected for the 2012 Michigan High School Football All-Star Game June 30, but will already be enrolled at U-M and will not participate … Attended the Michigan summer football camp in 2011. Other Sports: Has competed in track since 2009 and was the state champion in Division I 110-meter hurdles in both 2011 (13.73 seconds) and 2010 (14.17 seconds) … His 2011 time was the ninth-fastest in the U.S. for a high school runner … Took third place at the state meet in the 110-meter hurdles during his freshman year in 2009, crossing the finish line in 14.44 seconds … Also qual- ified for state's in the 300-meter hurdles, placing 21st in 2011 (42.40) and 11th in 2010 (39.78) … His time of 8.02 seconds (Jan. 26) in the 2012 indoor 60-meter hurdles is the sixth-fastest in the nation this winter through mid-February and the top time among state of Michigan athletes through Feb. 3 … Clocked 7.94 seconds a year ago in the same event, ranking first in Michigan and 12th in the country for 2011. High School GPA: 2.9. Planned Major: Philosophy and psy- chology. Favorite Michigan Athlete: Running back Chris Perry. Favorite Pro Player: Indianapolis Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. Date Of Official Visit To Michigan: Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. Other Schools Considered: Syracuse, Jan. 13, 2012. Why Johnson Chose Michigan: back for a Pioneer team that went 5-5 overall, losing in the first round of the state playoffs … Ran the ball 144 times for 850 yards (5.9 yards carry) and 10 touchdowns … Enjoyed three 100-yard afternoons … Caught 18 passes for 334 yards and four scores, including a 72- yard touchdown … Returned an inter- ception 41 yards for a score. Sophomore Season: Played running "I went to a Michigan game on my fourth birthday, and ever since then I've wanted to go there and play football. I never thought I'd have the chance, so when that dream materialized with an offer, I didn't even think twice about it. Pioneer Head Coach Paul Test's Com- " back for a Pioneer team that went 8-3 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs … Rushed 109 times for ments: "He's a downhill runner. He's fast and athletic, faster and more athletic than he's given credit for, but he's at his best when he runs with toughness, in between the tackles. He can go wide when he needs to, but he needs to fol- low his blockers and then use his power and speed to create big plays. " MARCH 2012 THE WOLVERINE 59