8 — Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Quinten Johnson preparing for bigger role in sophomore year

Quinten 
Johnson 

knew that he didn’t go 

to Michigan to star as a 

freshman. Recruited as a 

multi-dimensional 
four-

star defensive back in the 

Wolverines’ 
2019 
class, 

he 
knew 
he 
wouldn’t 

immediately 
usurp 
their 

crop of established starters.

What he didn’t know is 

that he would spend his 

entire 
freshman 
season 

watching 
from 
afar, 

sidelined by a groin injury 

that required season-ending 

surgery.

“He was a guy who was 

always 
playing, 
always 

on the field, always doing 

something for us,” Mike 

Ward, Johnson’s defensive 

coordinator at St. John’s 

College 
High 
School 
in 

Washington D.C., said last 

week. “And being injured, it 

isn’t easy, especially when 

you’re used to being a dude.”

That pain of not seeing 

the 
field, 
though, 
was 

countered by a knowledge 

that 2019 was a part of the 

process. Most around the 

program envision Johnson 

as a VIPER — a position 

where he has an immediate 

path to playing time in 2020 

after 
Khaleke 
Hudson’s 

graduation. 
And 
with 

multiple potential positions 

for 
him 
in 
Michigan’s 

secondary, Johnson knew 

he could spend his freshman 

fall learning from those 

around him.

All of that was supposed 

to build toward the 15 

practices 
that 
comprise 

spring ball. It’s a time of year 

seemingly custom-built for 

players like Johnson, with 

seniors already departed, 

but without the frenzied 

stress of fall camp.

Then came March 12.

Just four days before 

the 
start 
of 
Michigan’s 

spring 
practices, 
the 

NCAA canceled all winter 

and 
spring 
sports 
amid 

the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Instead of returning to the 

field and making his case as 

Hudson’s successor, Johnson 

was suddenly heading home 

to Washington.

He spent the next week 

working out at St. John’s 

to stay in football shape, 

before 
it 
too 
canceled 

classes, shutting down its 

football facilities in the 

process. Now, he’s trapped 

at home, attempting to fill 

the void left by spring ball’s 

cancelation with workouts 

that the Michigan staff has 

sent home to every player.

Still, Ward isn’t concerned 

about his development.

“I think it says a lot about 

(Johnson) that the first day 

he’s home, he comes into St. 

John’s and works out,” Ward 

said. “… (He) is not one of 

those guys that you have to 

worry about getting better.”

Even with the departures 

of Lavert Hill at cornerback 

and Josh Metellus at safety, 

it’s a development path likely 

aimed toward VIPER, where 

he and junior Mike Barrett 

are the leading candidates 

to replace Hudson. Though 

St. John’s doesn’t play with a 

VIPER, the position — which 

acts as a hybrid safety/

linebacker 
in 
defensive 

coordinator Don Brown’s 

defense — maximizes many 

of Johnson’s strengths.

“(Brown) 
is 
gonna 

put kids in a spot to be 

successful 
where 
their 

skillset lies,” Ward said. 

“And I think (Johnson) is 

obviously physically gifted, 

but he’s very intelligent, he 

can cover, he has great ball 

skills, he can tackle, he’s big, 

he’s strong. He did a lot of 

the same things — in terms 

of us having the VIPER 

position, no, but in terms of 

what’s asked of the VIPER 

position, yes.”

It’s the reason Brown and 

his staff recruited Johnson 

to Ann Arbor two years ago, 

even without seeing him 

play the position in high 

school. “I just think it was 

a perfect fit,” Ward said. 

“A lot of times, you’re like, 

‘Why is this kid going here?’ 

And with Q, just in terms of 

the academics, the fit with 

coach Brown, the fit with 

coach (Jim) Harbaugh, the 

fit as a program, I thought it 

was a great marriage all the 

way around.”

Now, of course, it’s also 

where the loss of spring 

ball hits hardest. Stuck at 

home, Johnson can recoup 

some of his missed lifting 

sessions 
and 
workouts. 

But on the field, there’s no 

replacement for those 15 

missed workouts.

THEO MACKIE

Managing Sports Editor

COURTESY OF MIKE WARD

Sophomore Quinten Johnson will have a chance to compete next year at VIPER, alongside Michael Barrett, after missing his freshman season.

In shock move, Christopher spurns ‘M’ for Arizona State at final hour

On Monday night, Juwan 

Howard’s 
first 
recruiting 

class had the chance to come 

full circle with the addition 

of 
five-star 
guard 
Josh 

Christopher.

But 
as 
it 
turns 
out, 

Christopher had other ideas. 

The 10th-ranked recruit in 

the 
247Sports 
composite 

rankings, 
he 
spurned 

Michigan — the perceived 

leader in his recruitment 

— when he announced his 

commitment to Arizona State 

via Twitter.

He 
would’ve 
been 

Michigan’s 
highest-

ranked recruit since LaVell 

Blanchard, the No. 6 overall 

prospect in the class of 1999. 

From 
the 
Wolverines’ 

side, Christopher’s formal 

commitment punctuates a 

lengthy 
recruitment 
that 

began only a week after 

Howard was introduced as 

the new Michigan men’s 

basketball coach last May. 

While UCLA was initially 

viewed 
as 
the 
team 
to 

beat 
in 
his 
recruitment, 

multiple 
reports 
claimed 

the sweepstakes ultimately 

evolved into a two-horse race 

between the Wolverines and 

Arizona State.

In 
January, 
recruiting 

analysts began identifying 

Michigan as the leader, and 

eleven consecutive Crystal 

Ball 
predictions 
in 
the 

Wolverines’ favor trickled in 

on 247Sports over the span 

of six weeks. But 10 months 

after 
becoming 
Howard’s 

first offer, Christopher is 

Tempe-bound.

Christopher’s 
older 

brother just finished his 

freshman season at Arizona 

State, 
where 
he 
played 

sparingly. Christopher chose 

the Sun Devils over Michigan, 

the hometown Bruins and 

Missouri, where his cousin is 

the men’s basketball strength 

and conditioning coach.

Many view Christopher 

as one of the elite scorers 

in the 2020 class, but his 

passing 
and 
perimeter 

defense also stand out from 

his game tape. The 6-foot-5, 

220-pound shooting guard 

already has a pro-ready body. 

He 
likely 
would’ve 
been 

part of Michigan’s starting 

backcourt next season, and 

his ability to score at all three 

levels 
could’ve 
provided 

instant offense.

Even 
without 

Christopher’s 
pledge, 
the 

Wolverines boast the nation’s 

No. 4 recruiting class — their 

highest-ranked haul since 

247Sports’ rankings began 

two decades ago. The class 

features 
five-star 
power 

forward Isaiah Todd, four-

star center Hunter Dickinson, 

four-star guard Zeb Jackson, 

four-star forward Terrance 

Williams 
and 
three-star 

walk-on 
forward 
Jace 

Howard, Juwan’s son.

With 
Christopher’s 

commitment 
to 
Arizona 

State, 
Michigan 
has 
one 

remaining 
scholarship 

available for the 2020-21 

season. 
The 
Wolverines 

remain in contention for 

five-star 
power 
forward 

Greg Brown, who is set 

to 
announce 
his 
college 

decision on Apr. 24, though 

Texas and Auburn are widely 

considered the favorites in 

his recruitment.

MILES MACKLIN/Daily

Michigan coach Juwan Howard lost out on prized prospect Josh Christopher late Monday night after a monthslong recruitment. Christopher ultimately chose Arizona State.

DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer

