Ron Johnson, a 5-foot-11, 220-pound running back from Naples (FL) Palmetto Ridge, is one of the Sunshine State’s top rushers. Gopher Hole caught up with Johnson to learn the more about his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What offers do you have right now?
Ron Johnson: I have FIU, Louisville, Georgia Tech and Marshall.
Gopher Hole: Obviously, any player wanted to get more looks to have some more options. What do you need to show some teams to get a few more offers?
Ron Johnson: Academically, I could higher my GPA. That is what colleges want to see.
Gopher Hole: What is your GPA right now?
Ron Johnson: 2.96.
Gopher Hole: Have you taken the ACT or SAT yet?
Ron Johnson: Yes, sir. I got a 820 on my SAT and a 19 on my ACT.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought much about what you would like to major in at college?
Ron Johnson: Business Management. Marketing.
Gopher Hole: What is going to be the main thing that makes you pick School A over School B or C?
Ron Johnson: The one that makes me feel like I am at home. The coaching. The environment, if I like it and I want to go there.
Gopher Hole: Is distance from home going to be much of a factor in your decision?
Ron Johnson: A little, but I think that I’ll be able to manage it with time.
Gopher Hole: What do you know about Minnesota?
Ron Johnson: I know that they had a couple of good running backs come from there and they have pretty good facilities from what they have sent me through the mail. They have a pretty good coaching staff over there.
Gopher Hole: Do you know how Minnesota first found out about you?
Ron Johnson: No. I think it was from one of my scouts that I had who sent out of my highlight video to a bunch of colleges.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a running back?
Ron Johnson: I am powerful. It takes a couple of guys to bring me down. I have got surprising speed. I will outwork my opponent, for sure. I will outwork them, so my team is victorious.
Gopher Hole: What things are you working on to continue to improve yourself as a running back?
Ron Johnson: My footwork. Working on my footwork and the mental part of the game. Being patient. Working on jab step and 1-2 step. My jump cutting and developing my stiff arm more, so I can be more elusive.
Gopher Hole: What are the expectations for your high school team this season?
Ron Johnson: I feel that we are going to go pretty far. Definitely going to go to the playoffs this year. My expectations for my teammates is that I expect them to do a lot, just as they expect me to do a lot and I feel like it is going to be a good year for us.
Gopher Hole: If Minnesota were to extend you a scholarship offer, would that make you more interested in the school?
Ron Johnson: I would definitely be more interested, because you are one of the special athletes that they have come upon and it is not like they are giving scholarships to every athlete that they come in contact with, so I would definitely be more interested and definitely would like to go up there and visit, because it is really far from home and I would want to see if I would like it first before I made my decision.
Gopher Hole: Do you play any other sports or are you just football-only these days?
Ron Johnson: I ran track. I gave up basketball after my freshman year.
Gopher Hole: Do you think that running track helps you as a football player in terms of speed and getting off to a quick start?
Ron Johnson: Yes. I feel like it has definitely helped me already. After I went to the football camps and the team camp with my team. I felt that I was quicker, especially after spring practice, I felt like I was different back than just the same old power back. I added a few new moves to my repertoire.
Gopher Hole: Besides the schools that have offered you, what other schools are you hearing from?
Ron Johnson: Louisville is the most. I really, really, really like Louisville and the coaching staff is the type that I would want for me to go there and I would allow them to host me for the next four years. I really like Louisville.
Gopher Hole: Do you come from an athletic family?
Ron Johnson: My brother, Shaquille Hall, he was at Bowling Green (defensive end and running back in high school, but played DE in college) and he transferred to a junior college, so he can go to a bigger program because he didn’t like the way that he was being coached at Bowling Green. The rest of my family were good athletes at high school and they went off to the military or they just stopped playing sports after high school
Gopher Hole: Have you always been a running back?
Ron Johnson: I have always been that typical athlete. I played safety and the older I got, I started putting on weight and I started lifting weights at a really young age, so I had a bunch of muscle mass and I slowly moved to running back and linebacker, but I have also played defensive end. I just feel like I am a natural. I can just do whatever my coach needs me to do, I’ll do it.