Michigan has its next running back duo as Donovan Johnson has announced his commitment to the program on Sunday joining fellow four-star Jasper Parker in the 2025 class.
Johnson chose Michigan over Georgia, Florida State, Tennessee, and others.
Johnson was first recruited by new Michigan RB coach Tony Alford while he was at Ohio State. He did not include Michigan in his top 5, but his interest followed Alford to Ann Arbor. The IMG running back is originally from Georgia.
Johnson was a breakout star as a freshman at Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day.with 1,336 yards and 10 touchdowns on varsity. Johnson transferred to IMG for his sophomore season and suffered a knee injury last spring that kept him sidelined for his junior season.
Once ranked a top 50 player overall in the 2025 class, Johnson could skyrocket up rankings once again with a healthy senior season. While other programs wanted to wait until the fall, Michigan felt comfortable pushing for Johnson, which no doubt will help keep Johnson in the fold.
At 6'1" 215lbs, Johnson is a bruiser back. A patient runner with good lateral cuts and strong legs that never quit moving. Defenders struggle to get Johnson down as he often breaks multiple tackles, getting to the next level. Not a burner, but a long stride with a quick burst allows him to get long runs when available.
While the size comparisons aren't the same, it is easy to see what Michigan is doing this cycle, once again getting a Corum and Edwards-like pair. In 2024, Michigan added Jordan Marshall and Micah Ka'apana, a thunder and lightning duo. With Johnson committing and joining Jasper Parker, Michigan once again has added two running backs with different skill sets that are perfect together in tandem.
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