Wofford coached Jones and A.J. Johnson at Gainesville High School (Gainesville, Ga.), but took over as head coach at Central Gwinnett High School (Lawrenceville, Ga.) before last season.
A.J. Johnson had an offer before his junior season, but nothing like the Central Gwinnett sophomore standout.
“He had an early offer to Tennessee and that was it,” Wofford said of A.J. Johnson. “I thought that was big at the time for a sophomore, but this kid’s got 18 offers or so already. I have to add them up.”
Wofford said Notre Dame and Ohio State extended offers for the 6-foot-1, 208-pounder sophomore stud through him on Tuesday. The Irish and the Buckeyes join a list that already includes Florida, Florida State, Auburn, Alabama, South Carolina, USC, Mississippi State and Kentucky among others, according to the coach.
Irish assistant Chuck Martin first heard about Johnson when he came to check on Jones’ younger brother, Malachi.
“He had come in a couple of weeks ago for the first time and watched his film,” Wofford said of Martin. “He loved his size, his nose for the football, his intensity and just the way he ran through blockers.
“His motor doesn’t stop. He is not a big rah-rah guy, but he leads out there on the field by example. When he says something, the entire defense reacts and gets it done. He’s a sideline-to-sideline linebacker. When he hits you, it’s a huge collision. He’s rough now.”
Johnson hasn’t changed with the enormous amount of attention he’s receiving as just a sophomore.
“He’s taking everything in stride,” Wofford said. “You have all of these guys you watch on TV all of the time coming in to offer him scholarships. He’s actually one of the most level-headed kids I’ve had going through all of this stuff. It doesn’t really phase him. He’s going to sit down over the summer and just relax with it. He just wants to play.”
Wofford is familiar with Notre Dame because of his experience with Jones and is passing along information to Johnson.
“I’ve talked to him about Notre Dame before, how much it’s bigger than just football,” the coach said. “He has a dad that keeps his straight. I don’t think that’ll be a problem. He’s going to go up and do a camp this summer, just to get on campus and see everything and see everybody.”
