"We lost to Amiott two weekends back," added Dezmond Johnson. "We
are 8-1 now. We used that loss as motivation to start doing all of the little
things right. I think our team grew from that loss. We learned that you will
get beat if you do not play every game."
Personally, Johnson leads the Class 5A classification in sacks.
"I think I have 15/12 sacks on the season so far."
How is his recruitment coming along?
"It is going good. It is kind of slow right now. I do not have any new
offers. It is the same five schools, Purdue, Ole Miss, MTSU, Vandy, and Duke."
Johnson attended Ole Miss's home game against Alabama, and he brought some family
members with him.
"It went good. I had been since April since I was down there last. I wanted
to refresh my memory and meet the coaches again. The game and environment was
fun. It was packed. The largest crowd to ever see a game in the state of Mississippi.
It was a tough game. Although they lost; they played hard. I had fun."
What was the 6' 5", 215 pound Nashville resident focusing in on while he
was on his visit?
"I wanted to visit the campus. We got there early and took a tour of the
campus on a golf cart. I saw a bunch of people tailgating that morning. They
give their team a lot of support. I saw how they warmed up, and how they use
their players. That was pretty much it. I just wanted to see what the game day
atmosphere was like."
What was his overall impression of the game day atmosphere?
"It was good. The game day atmosphere was great. The crowd was loud. It
was a record setting crowd. It was good to be a part of that. Overall, I left
with a favorable impression."
What was he expecting and did it meet or exceed his expectations?
"It was about what I was expecting. The SEC games are always going to
have a good turnout. I kind of expected it to be packed, but the stadium was
actually more than packed. They broke the record. That is what got me, how many
people showed up for the game."
Johnson focused on the defense, for the most part, during the game.
"They were pretty good. They looked sharp. They did not have too many mistakes.
They had a couple of breakdowns, but other than that, they were pretty solid.
They held them to a bunch of field goals when they kept turning the ball over
deep in their territory. That really impressed me that they were able to bow
their neck out like that when their offense kept putting them in a bad spot.
Overall, I was really impressed with their defense."
Which family members accompanied Dezmond on the trip?
"My mother, father, and two little brothers came with me. My parents had
already been there before, but it was the first time for my little brothers
to see the campus. My parents came with me in April, but they liked it. The
coaches seem cool, and education wise which they are looking at the hardest,
they wanted to see where they are ranked. They liked the school, but they are
going to support me no matter where I go."
Who are the other schools that are still in the picture?
"It is mostly Purdue and Ole Miss, but Duke is still up there too."
What is going on with Purdue?
"I just talked to them the other day. They do their jobs and keep in touch
with me every week. I took an official visit up there earlier in the fall (9/4),
and I really liked it up there. Their coaches are really impressive, and they
are doing a good job of recruiting me."
Anymore visits on tap?
"It depends on how we are playing. I might make a couple more visits, if
not, I will go off of what I have researched. I am going to make a decision
at the end of the regular season. If not by then, I want to make a decision
by the end of the playoffs, but I am shooting to make it after my last regular
season game, unless I end up taking some more visits."
Where is Dezmond leaning?
"I have narrowed it down to the schools I have been to, Purdue and Ole
Miss. The rest of the schools I have not seen yet. I would not say I am leaning
to a certain school, but Ole Miss and Purdue are at the top. Duke is right after
them and Vandy is still in the picture too."