Johnson Bademosi, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound safety/cornerback from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., finished his senior season (4-5) with 65 tackles, five fumbles caused, four interceptions and three fumbles caused.
He says he benches 250 pounds, squats 360 and has a 34-inch vertical jump. "I have great recovery speed and am a good tackler and hit hard," Bademosi said. "I have decent size but I want to get bigger and be more physical. I want to break on the ball better too."
Bademosi says he has offers from Army, Syracuse, Stanford and Illinois, although he isn't sure where he currently stands with the Illini. "They offered me verbally during the spring, but I haven't really been hearing much from them recently," he said. "I'm not sure what's going on with them now but I think they had a junior college safety already commit. That might be okay because they also recruited me for cornerback."
Although he denies a leader, Bademosi favors Syracuse, Stanford, Illinois, Boston College and the Ivy Leagues.
"I haven't really narrowed things down much yet," he said. "I'm still thinking about the schools that offered and I think Boston College is close to offering. They said it's really between me and like another guy and they want to see what happens. I also like the Ivy League schools, so that's a possibility too."
He says that Syracuse is recruiting him the hardest and he'll be visiting the 'Cuse on Dec. 14. "Syracuse is a great school. I have a really great relationship with the coaches and I feel like I can talk to them about anything. I love the location too. It's in New York and the campus and dorms are nice. They are in a competitive conference and are looking to rebuild.
"Syracuse isn't too far away either and I'll definitely consider distance," he said. "I'd like to be near my family. It won't be the only factor, but it will be something I look at."
Despite the distance, Bademosi plans to visit Stanford for an official visit on Jan. 9. "I haven't heard a bad thing about Stanford yet," he said. "It offers a world-class education and is a very ethnically and culturally diverse school. I also like the new coaches a lot and it's just the perfect combination of football and academics.
"Stanford has been successful in the past and are looking to get back on top," he said. "They have great tradition and the Pac-10 is a great conference, so you play against good competition every week."
He says that both Syracuse and Stanford said they would be scheduling an in-home visit sometime next week.
Growing up, Bademosi followed Michigan, but the Wolverines never recruited him. "I've always been a fan of the Big House," he said. "I love the way they play and there's just something about that rivalry with Ohio State that gets me."
Bademosi reports a 3.6 core GPA and a 1700 SAT.