James Johnson, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound three-star wide receiver/defensive back from Valley Center High School in Valley Center, Calif., still denies a leader and says he won't be thinking about recruiting until after his senior season is over.
This season Johnson has 33 receptions for over 800 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also has five interceptions. Valley Center is in the semifinals of the Valley League Div. 4 playoffs with an 8-2 record.
"I haven't been worrying about recruiting at all," Johnson said. "That's really the last thing on my mind right now. I'm worrying about winning a championship."
Johnson denies a leader, but has already taken an official visit to Colorado on Oct 4. He also has a visit scheduled to Colorado State on Dec 5.
"I feel like I have a good relationship with the Colorado State coaches," he said. "They have a young team and I think I'd be able to compete early there. They really like my athletic ability and said I'd make a big impact."
Another thing that the Rams have going for them is that Johnson has a friend on the team already (freshman fullback Jason Klingerman).
"We're good friends, but we don't really talk about recruiting," Johnson said. "They aren't pressuring me to go there."
Johnson says he is also considering visiting No. 19 Oregon, Arizona and Arizona State. All of his favorites have offered (10 total).
"I'm sure I'll take a few more trips," he said. "But you never know…I could fall in love with Colorado State and pull the trigger. I'm not sure."
One program that has really impressed Johnson this season is Oregon. "It seems like a great place," he said. "They program is good every year and they win a lot and always go to a bowl game."
Johnson says he also really likes the Ducks uniforms. "Those new black uniforms with the wings on the shoulders are real nice," he said.
"I was definitely surprised when they revealed those, but like them a lot," he said. "I like that they always have cool uniforms and are willing to try new things."
Another visit Johnson's likely to take is to Arizona. "I watched the game against Oregon State (Nov. 22) on TV," he said. "They played really well and almost won. They are a good team and have lost a couple close wins this year. It seems like they are very close to making that next step."
Johnson is ranked as the No. 86 wide receiver in the country by Scout.com and is also being recruited to play defensive back. He's undecided about his best position.
"I'm still trying to decide that too," he said. "I've been thinking about that a lot because I really love playing both."
Johnson says all the schools he's considering are recruiting him as an athlete and will leave it up to him which position he'll play.
Johnson has no academic major plans, but says he'd like to be a firefighter. He reports a 3.2 core GPA and 1400 SAT.