He has an open mind, but Lincoln High’s Ethan Johnson sure speaks highly of Notre Dame football.
“It’s a great school with great tradition,” says Johnson, a nationally recruited defensive end. “And, it’s on the television (NBC) every weekend. It’d be cool to go far away from home and know I’ll be on TV every weekend.”
Then again, he likes USC as well.
“I went down there a month ago,” he says of an unofficial visit to the school. “I liked it down there; it’s hard not to like L.A. I have a lot of family down there, and I felt comfortable down there. But I haven’t seen the other schools. I can’t say (the Irish or Trojans are) my No. 1 pick.”
Both schools have offered him football scholarships, he says. Johnson plans to officially visit Notre Dame and USC and three other schools after Sept. 1, when recruits can travel to see and experience prospective colleges and teams. The 6-5, 265-pound Johnson expects to hold off making his decision until after the visits.
It’s obvious which way Johnson leans. He plans to attend Notre Dame’s football camp this summer, “and I might try to make USC’s camp, but it might be a financial and time strain. I’ve already been there and seen (the school), anyway.”
Arizona, Arizona State, Washington, Michigan, Auburn, Minnesota and Colorado are among the schools that have offered Johnson scholarships, he says, and Oregon, Oregon State and Portland State also have been courting and offering the in-state, athletic junior. Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English saw him in person at the PIL track and field meet, and Oregon defensive line coach Michael Gray watched him at the state meet; the NCAA’s “bump rule” allows college coaches to simply acknowledge the recruit and visit with prep coaches during dead periods.
Johnson’s the latest of the city’s star defensive linemen, following the path of Ndamukong Suh and Myles Wade before him; Suh went to Nebraska, and Wade will be going to Oregon.
Johnson recently won the PIL shot put title and finished sixth in the state meet. He enjoys doing the shot, javelin and discus, but he loves football, and Johnson doesn’t mind the recruiting process.
“It’s fun,” he says. “I have quite a few options and I like that, I can pick and choose where I want to go.”
With his junior year nearing an end, and track and field over, Johnson says he will hit the weight room and improve his strength. His mother, Rita, is a physical therapist; his father, Daniel, is a personal trainer. So he’ll get some good guidance.
Johnson doesn’t put much stock in his physical strength and speed and their testing numbers, although each has impressed scouts.
“My game film speaks for itself,” he says.
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