Michigan football RB commitment has a high ceiling
Donovan Johnson is one of the most interesting commitments for Michigan football in the 2025 class as the four-star running back has spent the past two seasons dealing with an injury.
Johnson who is 6-foot-1, 215 pounds and ranked No. 232 overall in the 247 Sports composite rankings, which is interesting considering he didn't play last season. That tells you the kind of upside he had an two years ago, he was elite averaging 8.1 yards per rushing attempt.
The injury last season impacted Johnson's recruitment. However, the Wolverines offered Johnson this summer and Michigan football obviously liked what it saw and if healthy, Johnson is easily among the top five or 10 running backs in the 2025 class.
Charles Power is a recruiting analyst and scout for On3.com. He talked with EJ Holland of The Wolverine about Johnson and here's part of what he said about the new Michigan football commitment:
“Donovan Johnson is one of the more interesting and difficult evaluations in the 2025 cycle to this point. He came on the national radar as a freshman. He had a phenomenal freshman season at Calvary Christian in Savannah, Georgia. He’s a big-time athlete and has a prototypical build at running back. He transferred to IMG and played in a reserve role as a sophomore. He did not play much as a junior because he battled injury. We have not seen a lot of substantive football the last two seasons."
Power indicated that Johnson could have a huge ceiling for the Wolverines. His ranking will be determined by what happens this fall at IMG Academy, but if Johnson produces, it could be clear that the Wolverines are getting a steal, regardless of the ranking right now.
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“I think we just want to see it more on the field," Power said. "I hope we’ll get to see a lot more of him as a senior. Based on the recent sample size, it’s really difficult to say. What we saw early on were the physical traits. He ran with power. He can pull away in the open field. He had the look of a potential national prospect. I’m eager to see if he can show us that. Until then, it’s more of a projection.”