Johnson setting visits

Cory Johnson is from South Carolina, plays his junior college football in Brooklyn and cares not where the next step takes him. He won't have any shortage of options, either. The four-star defensive tackle holds eight offers from schools spanning the country.

There are more opportunities to come. Johnson knows that. He's not getting ahead of himself. That's not to say some schools aren't already standing out, though. The Brooklyn ASA College prospect has made some early evaluations. Nothing is set in stone. He names no favorites, but he's set up a few unofficial visits.

"The only visits that I know, for sure, I have coming up are Miami and Kentucky," he said. "And I'm going to Syracuse sometime in August."

With those visits set, Johnson offers up a two-cent evaluation of each program. He admits that he has much to learn about each and says he hasn't started to devote his full attention to recruiting as of yet. But first impressions have been made.

"At Miami it's the tradition," Johnson said. "They have the most players in the league. The name Miami pulls wright by itself. With Kentucky, I talk to the D-line coach once a week, so me and him are already building a nice bond. I really like him. With Syracuse, I'm just now starting to talk with them more. We have a former player going there, Wayne something. I know him by his nickname. I'm going to go up there with him for the visit. With the ACC, you can't go wrong."

Other possible visit destinations are also floating through Johnson's mind. And while he hasn't set the second group of trips up as of yet, he's narrowing his focus.

"I know I want to touch base with Tennessee," he said. "It's Tennessee. You can't turn down Tennessee without going to check it out. That's my opinion, anyway. And I really want to check out Arizona State. I really like Arizona State."

Johnson has played a number of positions throughout his football career. And while he's getting most attention as a defensive tackle, his versatility has college coaches excited.

"The thing about me is that I've never played the same position twice," Johnson said. "This is my first time ever playing tackle. In high school, I always changed my position on the D-line. I'm getting recruited at D-tackle but all of the schools say they can use me as a stand-up end or a nose guard, too. It just depends on the formation."

Johnson says he intends to wait until after his season to make a verbal commitment.