Major interest for MI back

Lansing (Mich.) Sexton is home to a handful of potential Division I prospects and one of them is running back Clifton Johnson. The 5-foot-10, 193-pounder was a backup on offense and didn't start until the fifth game of the season on defense, but still has plenty of interest from colleges.

"He's getting a lot of attention from school including Pittsburgh, Boston College, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, Michigan State and others," said Sexton head coach Daniel Boggan. "Right now I would say that he probably would like to stay close to home because he is close to his mom and little brother."

Last season Johnson ran for 350 yards and five touchdowns on just 45 carries. He added 39 tackles and six sacks on defense as he was named honorable mention all-conference.

"I think Clifton could play both on offense and defense in college," he said. "He is a great tackler and can cover, but is also good against the run and has a college body right now. He is also really fast and a special runner. I can say right now he's going to shock a lot of people next year since he's waited his turn to start.

"He is a very hard worker that always shows up at 5 a.m. for practice. He is very athletic as he also runs track and does basketball. Personally he is a great kid that didn't come from the best background and had tough times early in his life, but he's making the best of it now."

This summer Johnson plans to head to camps at Michigan and Indiana.