Johnson has clear favorite
Rahyme Johnson stopped by the UCLA Elite Camp in recent weeks and then said the Bruins were definitely the frontrunner in his recruitment.
The 2017 three-star from Los Angeles Salesian did not have an offer at that time but a few days later the Bruins came through with one only furthering Johnson's interest in the Pac-12 power.
Advertisement
A few weeks on and nothing has changed. Johnson still loves UCLA a whole lot but Salesian coach D'Vah Thomas said Johnson doesn't plan to hurry through the process.
"They're definitely a favorite," Thomas said. "He has been liking them for a while.
"It's still early so he's still trying to figure out all his options but they're definitely at the top of the list, a top priority."
So far, Johnson has landed offers from UCLA, Utah, Washington and Washington State. With his size and length at 6-foot-4 and 196 pounds a few of those schools offered without even seeing Johnson work out yet.
There are a few main things that Johnson likes so much about UCLA: It's close to home, he knows a lot of players on the team already and the three-star has developed a great relationship with linebackers coach Scott White.
All those factors point to the Bruins being the team to beat early on.
"He could be a linebacker there," Thomas said. "He likes the communication he's been getting from coach Scott White. The connection there is like family so that's really big."