Arizona back commits to NU
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By STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Keelan Johnson admits it was tempting to stay close to home to play college football.
A native of Mesa, Ariz., Johnson strongly considered the University of Arizona.
However, Johnson on Tuesday announced his verbal commitment to accept Nebraska’s scholarship offer, saying he bonded well with the Husker coaching staff and that the program is on a fast track to returning to national prominence.
Johnson knows something about speed. He reportedly runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds and ran the 100 meters in 10.7 in the state track meet as a sophomore.
Although the 6-foot, 200-pound Johnson played almost exclusively at running back last season for Mesa High School — and was recruited for offense by Arizona — Nebraska recruited him to play safety.
“I’ve always felt safety was his natural position,” said John Shea, who spent the last two seasons as Mesa High’s defensive coordinator. “I think he’ll be a terror there. He moves well to the ball. He’s never shied from contact. He has great ball skills. Once that ball goes up, he has the offensive skills to go up and get it.”
Nebraska coaches noticed those attributes last month when Johnson played defense during his three days at the Big Red Football School. Husker safeties coach Bill Busch played the lead role in Johnson’s recruitment, which makes sense considering Busch led the charge last recruiting season as NU signed five players from the Phoenix area.
“Coach Busch has been real generous to me,” said Johnson, who last season ran for 1,100 yards and 20-some touchdowns as Mesa High finished 7-4 after a first-round playoff loss in the state’s largest classification. He excelled in a two-back, multiple-set offensive system and made his only appearance at safety in the playoff game.
However, he has been playing safety and cornerback in Mesa’s summer program.
“I’m starting to like (defense) a lot more,” Johnson said. “At running back, I just want to carry the ball and show off. Nebraska recruited me at safety based on how I run and how I change direction. And I haven’t played safety enough to develop any bad habits.”
Johnson drew a three-star rating from Scout.com and a two-star ranking from Rivals.com. His only scholarship offers came from Nebraska and Arizona, though Arizona State and Oregon State have shown recent interest.
“Basically, the two schools on him since day one were Nebraska and Arizona,” Shea said. “A lot of teams looked at him as a running back. I told them defense would be the best place for him when all was said and done, but they wouldn’t listen.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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