OG Johnson takes first official

Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha offensive guard Shane Johnson took his first official visit this past weekend. The three-star prospect made the trip up to Piscataway to check out Rutgers.

"It was a great trip, everything went perfectly," he stated. "I got there on Friday and the coaches couldn't talk to me. I went to the hotel and the next morning my recruiter was at my door.

"I went to breakfast, the West Virginia game, toured the facilities and ate some more."

Even though Rutgers didn't pull out the victory, Johnson was impressed with their line play.

"They fought hard," he said. "It wasn't just West Virginia crushing Rutgers. Rutgers was in that game. They showed great pass protection from the offensive line and Kevin Haslam is a great player. The center, No. 61, I can't remember his name, but he's awesome too. The line was on point on pass protection and they were giving Tom Savage at least three to four seconds every play and sometimes more than that. It reminds me of my line."

Johnson was hosted on the trip by Desmond Stapleton.

"He was a really cool guy," he said. "His brother went to the NFL and is a guard with the Steelers. He's going to be the starting tackle next year or the year after. He told me that I fit in with the program and that Rutgers would be the place for me."

On Sunday, Johnson had a sit down with Coach Schiano.

"My meeting with Coach Schiano was great," he stated. "He's one of the best head coaches in the country.

"I just liked the way he talked about Rutgers. You could feel he was really, really in love with Rutgers and how he wanted that national championship. He told me if I really don't love it there don't come. That's what I'm looking for, I have to love it."

So, does Johnson love Rutgers?

"I did love Rutgers," he said. "I still feel like I need to go on a couple more trips to see if it's perfect and compare and contrast."

The No. 12 prospect in Maryland plans to head to Pittsburgh this weekend.

"I don't know what I'm going to see. I've seen the campus, but haven't gelled with any of the players. I want to see what the players think now, rather than just the coaches."

Johnson confirmed he hasn't narrowed his choices down and stated he is contemplating a visit to California in January.

He recently earned all-metro honors for his play this season.