Dillard’s Christopher Johnson opens up recruitment, but Miami’s still in a great spot
About a month ago, Christopher Johnson thought he’d be getting ready to make a college commitment right about now. The Dillard star narrowed his choices down to the Miami Hurricanes and Ole Miss Rebels, and expected to use the first few weeks of the college football season to help wade through those two options.
Now, he’s taking a step back and a commitment might not come until November or December.
“I’ve kind of opened it up,” the four-star running back said.
Miami and Ole Miss are still in prime position to land Johnson, but talks have picked up with the Clemson Tigers, Penn State Nittany Lions and Oregon Ducks, too. The Florida State Seminoles, he said, are also in good position to host him for an official visit sometime during the season.
The 5-foot-11, 178-pound tailback wants to take a patient approach, to make sure he doesn’t jump into anything rashly.
“I’m going to take all five of my official visits,” Johnson said, “just to see what’s out there because you never know. I might want to change my decision. That’s why I’ve got to feel everything out.
“I’ve got a lot of schools I want to see.”
Although it means the competition is a bit stiffer for them, the Hurricanes will still get to make the first in-season move with Johnson. The senior plans to be at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Saturday to watch the No. 16 Hurricanes open the season against the FCS Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.
While Johnson said he’s mostly waiting to see how Miami fares against the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies on Sept. 17, his in-person glimpse of the new-look Hurricanes will still be important because of how different Miami’s offense will look compared to a season ago.
“I want to see how they come out,” Johnson said. “I want to see how they look.”
Johnson, who’s the No. 27 running back in the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of 2023, is high on the Hurricanes in large part because of new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.
At previous stops, Gattis always helped offenses get the most out of its halfbacks, especially ones who can essentially double as wide receivers, like Johnson.
When Gattis was Penn State’s passing coordinator in 2017, running back Saquon Barkley topped 600 receiving yards. When he was the Michigan Wolverines’ offensive coordinator last year, multiple running backs topped 900 yards. At Miami, Johnson is eager to see how Gattis uses running back Jaylan Knighton.
“He’s probably one of the best coaches because he gets the backs involved,” Johnson said. “He’ll put me in a good position.”
In the meantime, Johnson is focused on helping his Panthers truly contend for a state championship for the first time in his career. Dillard opened its season Friday in Fort Lauderdale with a 35-0 rout of Rock Creek Christian Academy from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and Johnson, who was the Miami Herald’s Broward County Track and Field Athlete of the Year last season, scored a touchdown on the second play from scrimmage.
His profile has already risen precipitously in the last few months and it still could be going up, especially if the Panthers are going to be near the top of the list of favorites in Class 3M.
“Everybody’s talking about the football team,” Johnson said. “We’re the talk of the school, so it feels good, but we try to stay levelheaded and trying to stay focused.”
