Oregon is early favorite for Johnson
At the Stanford NIKE Camp and the Big Man on Campus Under the Lights 7-on-7 Tournament in recent weeks, Johnny Johnson targeted the top wide receivers which meant he faced USC commits Jaydon Mickens and Darreus Rogers and four-star Davonte Neal.
That is a handful for the 2013 cornerback from Fresno (Calif.) San Joaquin Memorial but Johnson thrives when going against the top players so he can keep getting better.
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"I always have to locate the best receiver," Johnson said. "I love to compete and I don't like anything easy. I'm going to look for the hardest dude so I can get better."
Colorado State has already offered Johnson, a physical 5-foot-10 cornerback who said USC has shown lots more interest recently and that Oregon still has the slight edge in his recruitment.
The Ducks are an early favorite and Johnson said pretty much the entire Pac-12 is recruiting him. Miami has also stopped by his school this spring.
"(USC is) after Oregon but it's tight right now," Johnson said. "I love SC and I'm a huge SC fan. They haven't talked to me yet but they're interested in me.
"Oregon still has the edge. Oregon is fast-paced, the jerseys are awesome, it's excellent coaching and it's a really nice program."
Tony Perry, who has coached some of the top cornerbacks to come out of Fresno the last couple decades, said Johnson could be the next big one. He has all the tools to be a special player and it's expected the entire Pac-12 will be involved.
"Johnny is a real physical corner, he has great instincts and he's very quick," Perry said.
"His first step, he has a very good inside step, he has a very strong jam and he can play off so what he does is he mixes it up pretty good. A lot of kids don't know how to play on and off so young but he can do both.
"You can't teach that. That right there, his parents gave him a great nickname - Champ - and he's going to be a big-time guy. Everybody is going to be on him. He's a big-time kid."