Three-star makes the pledge

Three-star playmaker Darien Johnson (5-9, 175, 4.5) from La Puente (Calif.) Bishop Amat was the catalyst for a surprising Amat that ended up 10-2. He made his decision on where he will attend school and play his college football.

Johnson picked New Mexico State, a program that is having one of their best recruiting efforts ever.

"I liked the atmosphere at New Mexico State," Johnson said. "It was a lot better than I thought it would be.

"I thought I wasn't going to be able to fit in, but it ended up seeming to be a place where I would fit in" Johnson said. "The coaching staff is outstanding and I liked the school and the campus. I liked everything about New Mexico State.

"Coach DeWayne Walker is a great coach," Johnson said. "He's like the main reason why I was really interested in the school. To be able to play for a guy like him, that's really good.

"I also like Coach Ruty (Mike Rutenberg)," Johnson said. "He's my position coach. He was one of the guys recruiting me and also coach Jesse Williams. I talked to them a lot. They are good people and good coaches.

"Las Cruces isn't a bad city," Johnson said. "It was really like a college town. There wasn't a lot of things going on out there where you could be distracted and stuff, but I really like the city, it's a college town and it's pretty cool.

The Aggies get a player in Johnson who earned first-team all-league, first-team all-area and first-team all-CIF.

Johnson made plays in a lot of ways for Bishop Amat. On special teams, Johnson was special. He had three punt returns that he brought back to the house for scores. He returned three kickoffs for touchdowns.

From his cornerback spot, Johnson racked up 46 tackles, three interceptions, one pick that he returned for a score, two fumble recoveries and returned one his fumble recoveries for a touchdown. As a wide receiver, Johnson had 30 receptions for 382 yards and two more touchdown while averaging 12.7 yards per catch.

You can see why the Aggies are excited about getting player like Johnson who has such a penchant for making plays.

The Aggies recruited Johnson for his skills as a defensive back and return man.

New Mexico State wins this battle over other offers from New Mexico, Northern Arizona, Portland State, Montana State and Cal State Sacramento. He was also being recruited by Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State and Washington.