Gamecocks sit in the top four with two-way ATH Aziah Johnson
SPORTSTALK / November 8, 2022
A few weeks back, USC secondary coach Torrian Gray got a look at game video of ATH Aziah Johnson (6-1 175) of Richmond. Johnson plays receiver, corner and safety, and highlights of a three-touchdown game made its way onto social media. It wasn’t long after that that Gray was on the phone to Johnson making him an offer.“Coach Gray followed me on Twitter, and after that, he was texting me, and then a whole bunch of other recruits from South Carolina started following me, too,” Johnson said. “After that, I think it was a couple of days past, we were still talking and we got on the phone and that’s when he offered me for the defensive backfield, safety or corner.”
Johnson said Gray sees him as a versatile defensive back, someone he can plug into a variety of roles in the secondary.
“He said like me on both sides of the field, but he said he likes me at corner,” Johnson said. “He likes my raw talent. I never got trained to play corner. I watch people in the NFL or people in college, and I mimic them. I mimic their footwork. I practice on my footwork a lot. For me, it’s the same thing I do at wide receiver, you’re just back pedaling and shuffling. He said he liked by ball skills and my footwork, and he likes my tackling skills.”
The Gamecocks have made a quick, positive impression on Johnson and sit in a good spot with him at this point.
“They are in my top four right now,” Johnson said. “I was very excited to get the offer from South Carolina. It’s an SEC offer. That’s like a big-time opportunity.”
Johnson also has offers from Wake Forest, Ohio, Duke, Michigan State, Virginia, East Carolina, Virginia Tech, Towson and North Carolina.
USC is one of the few schools recruiting Johnson wanting him for the secondary. Most like him as a receiver. But he’s not married to either side of the ball, thus that won’t be a major part of his decision. What will be important is what the school can do for him and his future in and out of football.
“I’ll be looking at medical school at their campus, because I want to major in biology and become a radiologist,” Johnson said. “I’ve been looking at medical schools, and I’ve been looking at the coaching staffs, if they have a good coaching staff or not. If you play football, most everybody’s goal is to get to the NFL, and I want to make sure my coaches have the ability to get me to where I want to go.”
Johnson plans to take an official visit to USC December 16th, one week after a scheduled visit to Virginia Tech. This season he has been to Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and VMI for games. He is planning to sign in December.