Five-Star Cornerback Places Notre Dame In Top 10
As Notre Dame looks to continue its quest to win a national title, it will of course need the best talent from across the country, and one of the Fighting Irish’s top targets hails from its regional footprint.
On Wednesday night, Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South class of 2022 cornerback Will Johnson, a five-star prospect per Rivals, announced his top 10 schools list, and it included the Fighting Irish.
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Alabama, Arizona State, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Stanford and USC made the cut for the 6-2, 182-pounder, in addition to Notre Dame.
Johnson received an offer from the Irish during the spring during a phone call with cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens.
“He seems like a cool dude,” Johnson previously told BlueandGold.com. “I just have to get to know him more.”
Johnson has been to Notre Dame twice, which includes his team participating in the program’s seven-on-seven passing camp last summer and returning to campus Sept. 28 for the Virginia game. The four-star prospect likes what he sees in South Bend.
“I can tell they put a lot of money into their facilities,” Johnson said. “I know a good bit about their academics and team. It’s exciting to see what they have.”
Johnson is the son of Deon Johnson, who played cornerback for the Michigan Wolverines in the early 1990s. Michigan will be tough to beat in this recruitment, because Jim Harbaugh’s program has been after him since last February and are the local school as well.
Johnson recorded 21 tackles and broke up eight passes during his sophomore campaign. He also did a lot of damage as a receiver, catching 37 passes for 600 yards and eight scores, to help lead Grosse Pointe South to a 7-3 record.
Here's what Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt has to say about Johnson: “College coaches want cornerbacks with good height and length, but often have to give up speed and fluidity in order to get it. That is not the case with Johnson, however, who checks all the boxes at the position. The Detroit area has kicked out a lot of top cornerbacks in the last couple decades, but Johnson may prove to be the best.”
Rivals ranks Johnson as the top player in the state of Michigan, and the No. 4 cornerback and No. 13 overall prospect nationally.
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