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William Johnson (DB ttun)

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Mr. so-and-so
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Grosse Pointe (MI) Grosse Pointe South High School

Defensive Back
6-3
190 lbs
Class of 2022


 
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Father played for ttun, but it also doesn’t appear to be a slam dunk for them either. If they let this one get away...
 
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Go all in for this one, big time prospect. Obviously hope to get Johnson here, but anywhere but TSUN sounds nice. Will love to see Coombs work his magic here...big ties to that northern state and obviously brings in top-notch DBs. I would watch this one closely.
 
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THE HURRY-UP: LSU COMMIT BRYCE ANDERSON’S RECRUITMENT “100 PERCENT OPEN,” BUCKEYES OFFER MICHIGAN LEGACY WILL JOHNSON, JAHVAREE RITZIE RELEASES TOP FIVE

OSU OFFERS MICHIGAN LEGACY

It’s incredibly early in the process, but it’s starting to look like Ohio State and Michigan could be in an early recruiting battle for one of the best sophomores in America who has strong ties to the Wolverines, similar to the Buckeye vs. Wolverine recruitment of Michigan running back Donovan Edwards.

Will Johnson currently ranks as the No. 4 cornerback and No. 16 overall player in the 2022 class as a 6-foot-3, 190-pounder out of Grosse Pointe South High School in the suburbs of Detroit. (For you fellow movie nerds out there, it’s the same suburb where the John Cusack-led movie Grosse Pointe Blank was set.)

Johnson’s father, Deon Johnson, was a cornerback at Michigan from 1991-1994. Similar to how Edwards and his coach at West Bloomfield High School, former Michigan receiver Ron Bellamy, are approaching Edwards’ recruitment, Johnson says those connections will not be a major factor over the next year or two as he chooses his college program.

“My dad played at Michigan, but it doesn’t play a big factor in my recruitment because overall he’d want me to go where is best for me,” Johnson told Eleven Warriors on Friday night, shortly after Johnson announced he had been offered by Ryan Day following a Zoom conversation.

“Coach Day offered me, and I got to do a virtual visit with the staff on it and learn more about the program. I got to go through some presentations with the coaches.”

When the Buckeyes came calling, Johnson says, it left a strong impact. The Buckeyes have asserted themselves as an early player in his recruitment as they continue to build good momentum all around in the sophomore cycle. Their work in getting so many 2021 commits on board before summer allows them to get a strong head start on the 2022 class.

“When I got the offer, it was very exciting because they’re one of the best college football teams in the country, and I have a chance to play there,” Johnson said. “It’s definitely a game-changer and will play a big role in my recruitment.”

Johnson, the top-ranked sophomore in Michigan, is very familiar with the recruiting process. He got a front row seat for the recruitments of a handful of top-tier recruits – such as former Ohio State safety Damon Webb and former Michigan players Shane Morris and Devin Funchess – by traveling the country as a kid with the 7-on-7 team his dad helped form.

And just like Anderson, Johnson is also very familiar with Coombs and his track record of getting guys into the pros.

“Coach Coombs coming back is a big factor in my recruitment from Ohio State because he has a record of putting out DBs in the NFL and DBs like me,” Johnson said.



According to 247Sports scout Allen Trieu, who compares Johnson early on to Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the young star already has good size and still has room to grow while already looking “like a prototypical outside cornerback prospect.”

Trieu says that Johnson is a “good athlete who excels on the basketball court and has shown top-notch ball skills on the football field. Has the size and ball tracking ability to defend bigger outside receivers. Has good technique. Smooth in his backpedal and transition. Smart as far as zone coverage.”

Right now, Trieu says, Johnson projects to be a “blue-chip boundary cornerback” as long as he doesn’t add too much height and size. Be on the lookout for Johnson as a possible five-star composite player and a player who Coombs – whose ability to recruit Michigan is well-documented – will be in on throughout the entirety of the recruiting process.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...0-percent-open-buckeyes-offer-michigan-legacy
 
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-Talks with the staff frequently and took a virtual visit recently. Loves that Ohio State puts guys into the NFL and will visit ASAP.


Love to hear that, William is a take and one we should go all in for. Love to have Coombs back to spearhead this one. Top DB talent from ttun, that has a Coombs special written all over it.
 
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“(Coombs) says ‘I only recruit first-rounders.’ That’s his line for me,” Johnson told Eleven Warriors. “He said he’s only offered five guys, and he says he only offers first-rounders. So that’s basically him saying that he thinks I can be there and that he thinks I can be a first-rounder.

“They put corners in the league every year. He just got back from the NFL so he knows how that goes, too. So he has connections in the league that would help me get there, so that helps a lot. … I think he just knows that he’s able to coach and develop kids. There’s a certain style of corner he recruits that he thinks he can develop into first-rounders so he has the confidence to say that.”
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“I think he’s just honest,” William’s father, Deon Johnson, said of Coombs. “What you see is what you’re gonna get.

“He’s a straight shooter, and he wants you to do the same with him. ... I’m gonna be honest with you, I want you to be honest with me.”
 
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JOHNSON LOOKS TO MAKE BIG LEAP

Two weeks ago, we hyped up five-star cornerback William Johnson after traveling up to Grosse Pointe South High School in the suburbs of Detroit. We came by our strong impressions honestly because the 6-foot-2, 182-pounder – ranked No. 15 overall, No. 3 at cornerback and No. 1 in Michigan’s 2022 class – has massive potential.

That’s all well and good, but in that same interview, his father Deon Johnson reminded us that this upcoming season could go a long way in determining just how far William has developed and what he needs to work on.

“I’ve always been wanting to see the jump from sophomore to junior season,” Deon said. “That’s why I’m really hoping we have a junior season because the junior year is always the biggest year. I’ve been waiting on the junior year the last couple years. Senior year, yeah, but I wanna see how well he does this year.

“I’m just hoping that he’ll get the opportunity to showcase some of his defensive skill sets. Last year, he probably only had three balls thrown his way in nine games. They’re moving up to a different division so hopefully these guys will be a little bit more active on his side of the field when they’re on offense. So that’s what I’m really hoping to see. And then we’ll see how well he does on offense. If that’s the only highlights that you can get, then you’ve gotta make the most of what you’ve got, right? You’ll take what you can get. You gotta do it on both sides of the ball and make it happen.”

William started showing some major improvements the year before he entered high school, buoyed by a major growth spurt. He went from about 5-foot-8 to 6-foot-1 in a one-year span. That growth in height led to a confidence boost because he was then physically more ready to compete with some of the older players.

“Once he hit the growth spurt, he came out and realized he could compete with these high school kids,” Deon said. “I think I really saw him improve in the middle of his ninth-grade year. You could just tell things started slowing down for him. He was catching up with the speed of the high school game.”

Eventually, that has led into this critical offseason for William's development, and because COVID-19 shut down the spring and summer travel basketball circuits (he is also a standout shooting guard in addition to his football exploits) it has actually allowed William to focus solely on football. This is the first summer football has been the only sport he’s put his time into.

Ever since the shutdown was put in place, he hasn’t really stopped putting in work, either. William and Deon would go find a field to get their work in, as the younger Johnson has been able to work a lot on his footwork, route recognition, press-man coverage, speed training, swiveling and opening up his hips and accelerating out of breaks.



“It’s been all football,” William said. “I’ve been able to get in the weight room, do a lot of speed training and get out here a lot. I think this is the most I’ve worked in football, ever, and I got a lot better this offseason. So I’m hoping we can get a season this year.

“Definitely my speed has got a lot better over the past two or three months. And in the weight room, I’ve been putting on more muscle. Out here working on footwork and hips and DB drills in general. All over the board just trying to get better.”
 
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Excluding his college choice, his father Deon seems like a great influence, certainly seems to come from a great and successful family.
I can tell from first hand experience he is, I know Deon from working SMSB, he is a stand up guy who has put his son in the best position to be successful, hence him going to Grosse Pointe South instead of Detroit King (Which would have been an upgrade football wise, but GPS has way better academics). I think he's going to do whatever fits best for his son
 
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-Johnson says that his relationship with his position coach, development from the strength coach, and how he’s used in the system will all play big roles in his decision. He singles out Ohio State, Oklahoma and Michigan.
 
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-Johnson says that his relationship with his position coach, development from the strength coach, and how he’s used in the system will all play big roles in his decision. He singles out Ohio State, Oklahoma and Michigan.

If thats really the case then I dont see how either of the other 2 schools can compete with Coombs and Mariotti at tOSU.
 
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