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Back in late January, the Miami Hurricanes attempted to dip into Chaminade-Madonna yet again by offering 2022 3-star DE Jamaal Johnson after safeties coach Ephraim Banda and cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph paid Johnson a visit at school.
“I was just like ‘Wow, this cannot be true, I really just got Miami’,” Johnson said of the UM offer. “I was just in shock.”
In addition to the offer, the coaches secured a promise from Johnson to attend UM’s Junior Day the following weekend, a promise which Johnson later kept. He spent his time on campus during the event learning more about the Miami program and mostly talking with DL coach Todd Stroud and strength and conditioning coach David Feeley.
“They were just telling me that they were happy to give me the offer, that they loved my film, that they wanted to work with me more as I progress and get older,” Johnson said. “Coach Stroud was breaking down film and just showing me the type of defense they run with their D-Line. It just felt good to be able to be a part of that.”
It was Johnson’s first opportunity to start to get to know Stroud, and he came away impressed about Stroud’s approach to the game.
“Coach Stroud, I could tell he was really serious about the D-Line and he was all about making us great as a unit,” Johnson said. “When he was talking to me, I was just thinking about how I could see myself being a part of this Miami organization. All you’re going to feel from Miami is just the love from them.”
As a local recruit, Johnson admits he often thinks about staying home for college, and has taken notice of how UM’s defensive line has played in recent seasons under Manny Diaz.
“I’m a Florida kid, so just being able to have the opportunity to be able to play for the home team, it just feels great,” Johnson said. “Growing up down here and seeing what the D-Line can do as a unit all these past years, it just feels incredible to be able to say I can play for them.”
The Canes have also been active in recruiting Chaminade-Madonna in recent years: In the current 2021 recruiting class, UM has commitments from Lions’ players DT Allan Haye, RB Thad Franklin, and K Andres Borregales, while UM also signed three players from the school in the 2019 class (S Keontra Smith, CB Te’Cory Couch, and DE Cameron Williams). The cumulative effect of having all of those current and former teammates at Miami seems to have a strong impact on Johnson, who says he regularly talks with some of them about playing for Miami.
“I keep in touch with Cameron Williams,” Johnson said. “Every time I go to the campus, we’ll meet up and he talks to me. He lets me know if you want to go to the NFL as a D-Lineman, you come to the U.
“And Allan Haye, that’s my best friend right there, we talk on the phone every day. He just lets me know if I want to commit to the U, to make sure that’s where I really want to go before I do it.”
With the current COVID-19 shutdowns ongoing, Johnson did not get to make many visits this spring, but he was able to see Kentucky, Pitt, and Georgia Tech (all have offered) last summer on a college tour with his teammates and coaches. Also, coaches only have limited permission to communicate with 2022 prospects that are not physically on campus at the time (eg. recruits must call the coaches themselves if off campus), but more types of communication are allowed by the NCAA when the prospect officially starts their junior year on September 1st.
“I definitely want to make a decision at the end of this season, or next spring,” Johnson said. “When September hits, all the coaches are more free to talk to me, so I’m definitely excited for that. When Miami starts talking to me more, I’ll probably eventually feel the love and lean to them more. I don’t want to rush anything right now because other schools are still in contact with me, but Miami’s always going to be Miami.”
When it’s time for him to start evaluating more of his options, the 6-2 230 pound prospect will be very particular about the system being run on the stop-unit.
“Well, I know when I go on more visits, I’ll definitely want to see how the defense is run,” Johnson said. “Also, the defensive line coach, what he likes to do with his players in certain situations and how they play as a unit, not just one person individually, but how they progress as a unit and how productive they are as a unit.”
As a sophomore in 2019, Johnson put up 48 tackles, 12 TFL, 8 sacks, and 1 FR for a state championship winning Lions team.
“I won states as a freshman too, so be able to go back again just makes me feel like I could probably get a state championship my whole four years if I really put my mind to it and keep working hard, start being more of a leader on the team, being more outspoken with the team. It just feels great to be a part of that and I just want to play like a dog, just to have that dog mentality. Never take plays off, just every play, go hard. Just be the best version of myself, to be a monster on the field and be relentless.”
“I was just like ‘Wow, this cannot be true, I really just got Miami’,” Johnson said of the UM offer. “I was just in shock.”
In addition to the offer, the coaches secured a promise from Johnson to attend UM’s Junior Day the following weekend, a promise which Johnson later kept. He spent his time on campus during the event learning more about the Miami program and mostly talking with DL coach Todd Stroud and strength and conditioning coach David Feeley.
“They were just telling me that they were happy to give me the offer, that they loved my film, that they wanted to work with me more as I progress and get older,” Johnson said. “Coach Stroud was breaking down film and just showing me the type of defense they run with their D-Line. It just felt good to be able to be a part of that.”
It was Johnson’s first opportunity to start to get to know Stroud, and he came away impressed about Stroud’s approach to the game.
“Coach Stroud, I could tell he was really serious about the D-Line and he was all about making us great as a unit,” Johnson said. “When he was talking to me, I was just thinking about how I could see myself being a part of this Miami organization. All you’re going to feel from Miami is just the love from them.”
As a local recruit, Johnson admits he often thinks about staying home for college, and has taken notice of how UM’s defensive line has played in recent seasons under Manny Diaz.
“I’m a Florida kid, so just being able to have the opportunity to be able to play for the home team, it just feels great,” Johnson said. “Growing up down here and seeing what the D-Line can do as a unit all these past years, it just feels incredible to be able to say I can play for them.”
The Canes have also been active in recruiting Chaminade-Madonna in recent years: In the current 2021 recruiting class, UM has commitments from Lions’ players DT Allan Haye, RB Thad Franklin, and K Andres Borregales, while UM also signed three players from the school in the 2019 class (S Keontra Smith, CB Te’Cory Couch, and DE Cameron Williams). The cumulative effect of having all of those current and former teammates at Miami seems to have a strong impact on Johnson, who says he regularly talks with some of them about playing for Miami.
“I keep in touch with Cameron Williams,” Johnson said. “Every time I go to the campus, we’ll meet up and he talks to me. He lets me know if you want to go to the NFL as a D-Lineman, you come to the U.
“And Allan Haye, that’s my best friend right there, we talk on the phone every day. He just lets me know if I want to commit to the U, to make sure that’s where I really want to go before I do it.”
With the current COVID-19 shutdowns ongoing, Johnson did not get to make many visits this spring, but he was able to see Kentucky, Pitt, and Georgia Tech (all have offered) last summer on a college tour with his teammates and coaches. Also, coaches only have limited permission to communicate with 2022 prospects that are not physically on campus at the time (eg. recruits must call the coaches themselves if off campus), but more types of communication are allowed by the NCAA when the prospect officially starts their junior year on September 1st.
“I definitely want to make a decision at the end of this season, or next spring,” Johnson said. “When September hits, all the coaches are more free to talk to me, so I’m definitely excited for that. When Miami starts talking to me more, I’ll probably eventually feel the love and lean to them more. I don’t want to rush anything right now because other schools are still in contact with me, but Miami’s always going to be Miami.”
When it’s time for him to start evaluating more of his options, the 6-2 230 pound prospect will be very particular about the system being run on the stop-unit.
“Well, I know when I go on more visits, I’ll definitely want to see how the defense is run,” Johnson said. “Also, the defensive line coach, what he likes to do with his players in certain situations and how they play as a unit, not just one person individually, but how they progress as a unit and how productive they are as a unit.”
As a sophomore in 2019, Johnson put up 48 tackles, 12 TFL, 8 sacks, and 1 FR for a state championship winning Lions team.
“I won states as a freshman too, so be able to go back again just makes me feel like I could probably get a state championship my whole four years if I really put my mind to it and keep working hard, start being more of a leader on the team, being more outspoken with the team. It just feels great to be a part of that and I just want to play like a dog, just to have that dog mentality. Never take plays off, just every play, go hard. Just be the best version of myself, to be a monster on the field and be relentless.”
