Tony Alford has landed his second running back of the 2025 class.
After getting a commitment from 2025 three-star Jasper Parker a couple weeks ago, Tony Alford and the Michigan Wolverines decided to double down at the running back position this recruiting cycle.
Announced on social media on Sunday, four-star running back Donovan Johnson has committed to Michigan.
BREAKING: Four-Star RB Donovan Johnson has Committed to Michigan, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’1 215 RB from Savannah, GA chose the Wolverines over Florida State, Georgia, Tennessee, & Ohio State
“I’m home, Go Blue〽️” https://t.co/PyMb2AqNqz pic.twitter.com/KXwg4H89BS
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 23, 2024
The 6-foot, 205-pounder plays high school football at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Alford began recruiting him when he was the running backs coach in Columbus. Upon Alford’s arrival in Ann Arbor, Johnson was offered by Alford once again.
Unfortunately, Johnson missed all of his junior season due to a torn ACL. However, Alford prioritized him and seems to feel confident enough in his abilities to take his commitment.
Johnson is continuing to recover from his ACL tear, but he is putting in the work necessary to come back stronger from the injury.
Athlete : Donovan Johnson (IMG ACADEMY)
These movements are key when bouncing back from a knee injury , isolate-single leg balance and strengthen of knee drills then transition the movements into full speed action #rbs #runningbacks #rbgenius #runningbackgenius #exercisescience pic.twitter.com/H887Q9V5sN— Brad Lester (@BradLester1) June 18, 2024
Change of direction | Hip mobility drill for Running Backs. Adding resistance to this movement is key
Athletes: Donovan Johnson (IMG)
@Jav7n (East Paulding HS)#Runningbacks #rbs #speed #training #offseason #atlanta pic.twitter.com/yRjrrbW7Fy— Brad Lester (@BradLester1) June 23, 2024
Hopefully Johnson can fully recover, have a great senior season and get to Ann Arbor ready to compete. Should all go well for him this fall, he certainly could be in play to rise up the rankings as well.
Johnson took his first ever visit to Michigan — an unofficial visit — this past week and had good things to say about his experience in Ann Arbor.
“Michigan is up there,” Johnson told On3’s EJ Holland ($). “I love Michigan. I’m definitely going to be up there again soon. You can’t go wrong with Michigan. When I first got there, all the coaches talked to me. The atmosphere is very genuine. The players have a different connection. You can tell it’s a brotherhood. At IMG, we stand strong with brotherhood, so I respect that and love that.”
Besides Michigan, Johnson had other offers from Ohio State , Alabama, LSU , Florida State , Georgia, Oklahoma, USC, Penn State, Tennessee and more.
Johnson is ranked No. 16 at his position, No. 34 in the state of Florida and No. 232 overall on 247Sports’ composite. You can check out highlights from his sophomore season down below.