Blue White Illustrated

U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L Johnson reopens PSU's pipeline to Michigan M ichigan may be home to two of the Big Ten's top programs, but throughout the 5nal decade of Joe Paterno's tenure, Penn State had plenty of success in the Detroit area. During that span, the Nittany Lions pulled in players such as defensive tackle Ed Johnson, who starred at Crockett High School in downtown Detroit, and line- backer Tim Shaw, who grew up in the nearby suburb of Livonia. Both enjoyed successful college careers and went on to play in the NFL, and in the years that fol- lowed, players such as Chris Colasanti, De- On'tae Pannell, C.J. Olaniyan, Rob Bolden and Allen Robinson all opted to leave the Great Lakes State and join the Lions. However, a lot has changed at Penn State since Robinson signed in February 2011. The Lions recently experienced a 5ve-year drought in Detroit, but it ended this past December, when James Franklin and his sta6 earned a commitment from Cass Tech cornerback Donovan Johnson. A four-star prospect and a member of the Rivals250, Johnson earned just shy of 20 verbal scholarship o6ers throughout his high school career. Louisville, Mis- souri, Nebraska, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Ten- nessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin were a handful of the top schools that o6ered, but as Johnson explained, he was always considering two schools in particular. "Honestly, Penn State and Virginia Tech were always ahead of everyone else. They were always my favorites," Johnson said. "Those schools really were neck-and- neck until the end. Both had a lot that I really liked. At Penn State, I really liked the coaches. That was the big plus." While Johnson was able to get to know the entire coaching sta6, his strongest re- lationships were with the assistants in charge of the team's defensive backs, Tim Banks and Terry Smith. He said their per- sonalities, both on and o6 the 5eld, played a key role in his decision. "I'm closer to Coach Banks, but I have a great relationship with Coach Smith, too," Johnson said. "Coach Banks was just the coach that I talked with the most, al- though I still talked to Coach Smith once or twice a week. Coach Banks was just the one texting me every day. "But both of those guys played a big part in me coming to Penn State. I like the way they not only coach, but also how they go about their business. Some coaches are great coaches, but they're al- ways serious and don't know how to have fun. With Coach Smith and Coach Banks, I know they're going to push me out on the 5eld, but they're also going to be there for me when I need them o6 the 5eld." At Cass Tech, Johnson played running back and defensive back as a freshman but didn't start at cornerback until his sophomore season. During his career, the Technicians put together one of the best stretches in school history, compiling a 50-5 record en route to three Detroit Pub- lic School League (PSL) championships. During Johnson's senior season in 2016, they won the MHSAA Division I state championship a7er going 14-0. Two of his teammates, wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and defensive back Jaylen Kelly-Powell, both signed with Michigan in February, while another teammate, o6ensive lineman Jordan Reid, signed with Michigan State. Many of those who follow recruiting expected Johnson to join the Wolverines or Spar- tans, but he never earned an o6er from ei- ther of his two in-state schools. "I don't let that kind of stu6 bother me," he said. "Penn State o6ered me early in the process, and so did a bunch of other great schools. That's all that really mat- tered to me. I don't have any hard feelings or anything like that. "Although, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to facing those two teams every year." Johnson enrolled at Penn State in June and is in the midst of his 5rst preseason camp. He's expected to redshirt, but that doesn't mean he will be taking it easy this season. In fact, he's planning to do quite the opposite. "I want to prove that I'm just like every- one else," he said. "I'm not going to be that little freshman coming in, starting at the bottom. I'm ready to work. I worked so hard this o6-season, so I want to prove to everyone that I'm there for the same reason they're all there: to play big-time ball and prove to everyone that I'm a top player." ■ | THE JOHNSON FILE STATS Helped Cass Tech go 50-5 during his four varsity sea- sons, including a state championship as a senior... Earned four varsity letters in track and field as a sprinter on the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams HONORS Named a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 18 cornerback nationally and No. 4 prospect in Michigan... Received first-team All-State recognition from USA Today... Named to the Detroit News All-State Dream Team... Se- lected to play in the Army All-America Game CLICK HERE to see video of Johnson in action. Rivals.com

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