Johnson: Central Michigan is the one

Central Michigan's first offer for the 2015 class, for any position, went to Dewitt (Mich.) quarterback Jake Johnson. On Sunday, roughly five months after they offered, the Chippewas got a commitment from Johnson, securing their quarterback for 2015.

Johnson's only offer for months was from CMU, but he added an offer from Akron in mid-May and another from Buffalo in late May. He had serious interest from most of the Mid-American Conference, along with Indiana and Minnesota. Johnson added that Toledo and Western Michigan were close to offering before picking up commits at quarterback.

The Dewitt native said two key factors in his decision were CMU's location and that they were his only offer for so long.

"I liked Buffalo and CMU a lot," Johnson said. "Honestly, the main factor for me was just how close Central is. My family can come watch me and support me, which is a big thing to me. I just had a better relationship with the Central coaches and I just like what Coach Enos and his staff are doing with the program up there."

Johnson has been on campus six or seven times, including a Junior Day in late January. He says that he's done with visits and is glad to move forward now that the recruiting process is over.

"I'm pretty sure that it's over, actually," Johnson said. "It's a very busy time for kids that are being recruited and it's pretty crazy. I've seen all the schools that interest me and Central Michigan is the one."

Johnson is another dual-threat quarterback that the Chippewas have picked up since the beginning of the Dan Enos era. Cooper Rush stands as the lone exception. Every other signal-caller (Kyle Smith, Alex Niznak, Cody Kater, Ryan Lamb, Darrien Boone and Zach Oakley) that CMU has brought in since 2010 has been a threat to run.

The ability of the CMU staff to mold their offense to the strengths of their quarterback, as well as prepare those players for the next level, was intriguing to Johnson.

"It's more of a pro-style, but depending on if the quarterback can run, they'll spread it out and run some zone-read," Johnson said. "I also like the pro-style because the ultimate goal is to try to get to the NFL. That's what you're going to be doing in the NFL, so that helps me get ready for that."

Johnson threw for over 2,000 yards last fall, with 31 touchdowns and just three interceptions, despite missing three games with an injury. He completed 69 percent of his passes and averaged almost seven yards-per-carry.

Under his leadership, the Panthers had an undefeated regular season and made a run to the MHSAA Division 3 state title game, where they lost to Zeeland West, 34-27.

In terms of goals for his senior year, there is really only one goal and now that Johnson is committed to CMU, he can turn his attention toward that objective.

"We're working hard as a team," Johnson said. "That was one of the main reasons I wanted to find a school and commit early, so I could focus on my team and our senior year and go after that state championship."

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