Johnson speaks highly of UCLA offer
Stephen Johnson III has had open lines of communication with the UCLA coaching staff and was sure the Bruins were interested but he was not certain when he would receive an offer.
Those questions were all answered this past weekend when the San Leandro, Calif., athlete called UCLA and landed it.
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"They came to my school this past week on Wednesday," Johnson said. "I had talked to the defensive coordinator and Angus (McClure) and they said they were going to offer me soon but I didn't know how soon.
"(Saturday) morning I got a message on Twitter to give them a call so I called them and they offered me."
UCLA is one of the early favorites along with Oregon, Cal, Duke and Arizona State for Johnson, who also landed an offer from Washington in recent days.
The 5-foot-11, 188-pound prospect who shined at the RCS Northern California has already taken one trip to Westwood but wants to return to give the school a closer inspection. UCLA is definitely under serious consideration.
"They're a very top team," Johnson said. "I like the program, the coaches. I feel like they're a very professional-type team and that's somewhere I would fit in with the weather and the academics and the sports as well. It's a great combination of everything there.
"I want to visit. I've visited before, I went down there and that was my first time meeting the coaches and everything but now it's turned to a whole other level where I actually have to start considering things. I'm going to go down and take a real look."
Plenty of new interest is coming in for the San Leandro standout who said Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Auburn and LSU have all reached out recently. As for a commitment, Johnson's timetable has not changed much.
"I'm probably going to take it a little slower," Johnson said. "I still plan to commit during the season."