Ranking the Contenders: Jamier Johnson
Jamier Johnson released a top seven in mid-April comprised of Nebraska, USC, Ohio State, Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon and Texas.
Since that time the four-star cornerback has remained largely silent about where his recruitment stands other than to say he would be making his commitment on July 3.
The Pasadena (Calif.) Muir prospect has not given away many hints on where things stand but after talking to numerous sources close to his recruitment it sounds as if USC is not recruiting him much, that Oregon has some other priorities at the position and the Big Ten longshots of Ohio State and Nebraska are out.
In the last few days, his recruitment has taken a much clearer picture with three schools in particular making the biggest moves but there is still an incredible amount of uncertainty about where the four-star cornerback will end up.
Even sources closest to his recruitment are not entirely sure which program he’s going to pick so three programs are watching closely as he inches closer to his decision on Friday.
Below, we do our best to rank the contenders in his recruitment leading up to his decision day.
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1. TEXAS
When Johnson landed his offer from Texas earlier this offseason, he said the Longhorns would shoot right up his list and be one of his favorites. He expected to visit Austin with Muir teammate Calen Bullock. That did not happen because of the coronavirus shutdown but Johnson has remained very high on Texas throughout the last few months. Assistant coaches Jay Valai and Chris Ash have been involved in trying to get him. Texas has had lots of success with West prospects in recent years and the Big 12 power is in good shape here.
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2. COLORADO
There remains a lot of uncertainty around what Johnson’s decision will be but one source said the Buffaloes are definitely in the running and a big reason is because of Johnson’s relationship with new cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin. He has coached all over the Pac-12, has great relationships in Southern California and has definitely won his fair share of recruiting battles over the years. Earlier this offseason, Johnson did not talk a whole lot about Colorado but that new coaching staff is intriguing and having Martin as his position coach could be a huge selling point.
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3. ARIZONA STATE
Throughout the last few months, Johnson has talked highly of Arizona State especially with its coaching staff of Herm Edwards, Antonio Pierce’s connections to Southern California and now Chris Hawkins on board as defensive backs coach. That could be a major draw, that Johnson is comfortable with a lot of coaches on staff, and he could see early playing time there. The Sun Devils have done an excellent job recruiting Southern California in recent years and the best players play. That could be a big draw for the four-star cornerback.