Wolverine TV: Q&A with On300 Michigan RB commit Donovan Johnson

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland sat down with On300 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy running back and Michigan commit Donovan Johnson earlier this week.

Watch their full Q&A in the video above.

Johnson Recruitment

New Michigan running backs coach Tony Alford offered Johnson shortly after arriving in Ann Arbor. Alford recruited Johnson during his time at Ohio State and built a strong relationship with him throughout the process.

Alford visited Johnson at his high school during the spring evaluation period last month and got him on campus for an unofficial visit last week.

It was there where Michigan really moved the needle and won Johnson over. He eventually committed to the staff on Saturday afternoon before announcing his decision publicly a day later.

“It was great,” Johnson said. “I got down there and talked to the whole coaching staff. I got a chance to talk to Coach (Sherrone) Moore. I had a really long conversation with Coach Tony (Alford). Great people. Great school. Great atmosphere. I have no negative words for it. I was there all day. I watched the practices and went to The Big House. It was just great.”

Johnson missed the majority of his junior season due to injury. However, he has been fully cleared and is expected to be ready for the beginning of his senior year.

Johnson, a native of Savannah, Georgia, committed to Michigan over offers from Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas A&M, USC and others.

At 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Johnson is ranked as the No. 25 running back and No. 298 overall prospect nationally, per On3. Johnson is also ranked as the No. 40 overall recruit in the state of Florida this cycle.

Michigan has 16 commits in its 2025 recruiting class — Top 100 Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh tight end Andrew Olesh, Top 100 Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange safety Ivan Taylor, Top 100 Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga defensive back Kainoa Winston, Top 100 Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick defensive lineman Nate Marshall, On300 Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot quarterback Carter Smith, On300 Alpharetta (Ga.) High EDGE Julius Holly, On300 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy running back Donovan Johnson, four-star New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw wide receiver Jacob Washington, four-star Palatine (Ill.) High EDGE Jaylen Williams, four-star Birmingham (Mich.) Groves offensive lineman Avery Gach, four-star Howell (Mich.) High defensive lineman Bobby Kanka, three-star New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw running back Jasper Parker, three-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn, three-star Destrehan (La.) High wide receiver Phillip Wright, three-star Stockbridge (Ga.) High linebacker Chase Taylor and three-star Alcoa (Tenn.) High tight end Eli Owens.

The class is ranked No. 12 nationally and No. 3 in the Big Ten, per the On3 Industry national team recruiting rankings. The Wolverines currently sit behind Ohio State and Oregon.