Will Miami-transfer DE D J Johnson follow yellow brick road to the Emerald City?

Will Miami transfer D J Johnson follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and the Washington Football program?

Trying to find his way is a phrase that could describe many of us. But in NCAA, that phrase describes a former Miami Hurricaine player. You see, he plays on the east coast. Unfortunately, he hails from Sacramento, California, and he would like to play closer to home.  Fortunately, the Washington Football team plays in Seattle Washingon, which is 2,363 miles closer to home than Miami, Florida.

That young man seeking a way to get closer to home is none other than former Miami Hurricaine defensive end D.J. Johnson.  We had discussed the rumors of Washington Husky interest in the young man about a year ago, and those whispers then seem to be valid discussions now.  The reason for the interest in coming west has emerged, and it’s a matter of family health concerns:

That struggle to be close to loved ones is unfortunate, and my heart goes out to the young man who wants to be near to those dearest to him.  In response, he needs the opportunity to do so in a Pac-12 school.

Plenty of Pac-12 interest

Former Miami Hurricane and top 100 recruit Deonte (DJ) Johnson had announced that he wants to transfer closer to home in Sacramento. And so, he has opened his recruiting up to Pac-12 schools. Better yet, the Washington Football program is believed to be one of the favorites to land him.

Johnson needs a solid team to launch into a perspective NFL career. Washington needs defensive linemen, and Johnson is very good. In fact, he was recruited heavily by the Washington Football team before electing to play for the Miami Hurricaines.  But he was heavily pursued by over 100 football programs, and had 100 scholarship offers on the table.

Schools in the running

That is all out the window now, however. NCAA rules restrict who can express interest in the young man now.  That list of teams authorized to contact Johnson includes:

Arizona schools
Arizona State University
University of Arizona
Oregon Schools
Oregon State University
University of Oregon
California schools
Berkeley Campus – University of California
Los Angeles Campus – University of California
University of Southern California
Washington
University of Washington

And of course, the school which truly interests us is that last University on the list.  Curiously, Washington was one of the teams thought to have a solid chance at recruiting Johnson a year ago.  With his interest to return to the west coast, that familiarity with the Huskies program could serve as a huge component to his eventual decision.

Weakside defensive end to strong interior

While Johnson is currently a weakside defensive end, his 6-foot-5 frame can certainly support more strength and bulk. And as the team had done so with defensive end turned tackle Josiah Bronson who transferred in from Temple, the Huskies strength and conditioning program is very skilled at adding muscle to players.

For Bronson, that translated into bulking up his 265 pound frame to 290 pounds in a year.  That is phenomenal work, and a true testamony to the training practice of the athlete and the strength and conditioning program.  It’s that conditioning which has to be attractive to the NFL-hopeful Johnson.

Positive trend

That, and defensive prowess on the national level over the last few seasons will be a huge selling point to Johnson. Finally, Johnson will certainly consider the fortunes of NFL defensive linemen Danny Shelton and Hau’oli Kikaha, former Washington players who earned a chance at the pros.

Next: Greg Gaines Announces Return for Senior Season

2018 is shaping up to be a big year for the Huskies, and Greg Gaines’ return is a great way to start. Adding Johnson would be a great second step to assuring the Washington Huskies defense remains feared in both the Pac-12 Football Conference, and in the NCAA overall.