Tech football further fortified its recruiting stronghold in Baltimore when Richard Johnson, Prep Atlantic’s fourth-ranked cornerback in the nation, verbally committed to the Hokies on Dec. 12. Johnson had earned consecutive selections to the Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro team as a quarterback at Milford Mill High School, where he led his team to a pair of titles in the tough Baltimore County 3A-4A classification.

Johnson is the most recent commitment in what is now becoming a tradition of top Baltimore-area players making their sojourn to Blacksburg. Both Tech and "Charm City" can boast of former Gobblers Antonio Freeman, Vaughn Hebron and Keion Carpenter. Last season’s recruiting class included Michael Crawford, a PrepStar All-American from Patterson High. But the Baltimore pipeline hasn’t dried up there.

Vincent Fuller of Woodlawn High and Johnson have been rival quarterbacks in Baltimore County over the past several years. Ironically, they will enter Virginia Tech this fall as teammates. Fuller (link to Fuller piece?) also verballed to the Hokies recently as a prospective safety. The pair has all the makings of a potent defensive-backfield tandem, but - nothing against Fuller - Johnson has other plans.

"I was recruited as an athlete," said the 6-foot, 175-pound Johnson, who chose Tech over Syracuse and Michigan. "But I will get a chance to play receiver."

Johnson believes, without the slightest thread of doubt, that he will become a pass catcher for the talented Hokies, even though the wide receiver depth chart will be a tough nut to crack over the next couple of seasons. Starters Andre’ Davis and Emmett Johnson will return in 2000 as only juniors. Backups Terrell Parham and Shawn Witten come back as sophomores; and highly-touted redshirts Andrae’ Harrison and Deon Provitt will each make their debut in the fall.

Nevertheless, Johnson sees himself in the talented mix of those running under the aerials of someone he admires, Michael Vick .

"He is very good quarterback… exciting," said Johnson. "I know he’s going to get me the ball and when you have a strong quarterback, you know you can win a championship."

Headstrong?

Hardly. Johnson expresses himself in a soft-spoken, pleasant and sincere manner which conveys confidence but falls well short of cockiness. And with his athletic ability and belief in himself, who will ever doubt him. Surely not his prep coach, Reggie Brooks.

"Richard was responsible for 70 to 80% of our success in winning our league title two of the last three years…and we just missed another," said Brooks. "I think he will play receiver (at Tech), but when they see him throw the football, they might want him to play quarterback. He is an athlete."

Johnson has the wheels to reach his goal as a member of the Hokie receiving corps as he ran a legitimate 4.39 forty at the Maryland Junior Combine last year. He passed for 1,109 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine two-point conversions at Milford Mill this past season. He also exploded for 1,138 yards, 10 touchdowns and three two-point conversions rushing.

He showcased his abilities against neighboring Randallstown High in the his team’s regular season finale. Johnson rushed for two touchdowns, passed for three and had a kick return for his sixth score of the day in the 48-32 victory over an archrival.

"He’s a big-time player," said Brooks. "When he wasn’t running for a score he was throwing for one, and he even had people afraid to punt."

Tech wide receivers coach Tony Ball recruited Johnson, who attended the Miami game earlier this season with his mother and stepfather before making an official visit on Dec. 10. He and his parents were equally impressed with the spectacle of game night at Lane Stadium.

"I liked the atmosphere and so did my parents," said Johnson. "It was exciting, even in the stands. The fans are great and you can tell they really support their team. I felt comfortable there."

He met Frank Beamer on his official visit.

"He’s nice, a pretty funny guy," said Johnson. "He was cracking a lot of jokes when he spoke to us. He welcomed me and said that he was excited that I chose Tech"

Johnson also had a chance to meet several Hokie players, among them Ike Charlton, Anthony Midget and the fiery-eyed Corey Moore.

"It was something new for me being around him, kind of a celebrity," said Johnson about Moore. "He had a lot of people coming up and asking him for autographs. It was exciting knowing that you will soon be a part of it."

He had visited Syracuse on December 3, but after making his official visit to Tech a week later, he canceled scheduled visits to Maryland and Michigan. He committed to Blacksburg two days later.

Despite all the excitement unfolding around him, Johnson has managed to keep it all in perspective. When asked about his role models he responded not with Corey Moore, Antonio Freeman or Steve Francis. Without hesitation, he extolled the virtues of his mother.

"My mother raised me," said Johnson. "She has been both a mother and a father to me. She used to play catch with me. Now, I have a stepfather too. But my mother has always talked to me about life, education… and even girls."

In speaking with Johnson, and Vincent Fuller, one realizes that Tech is still placing as high a premium on character as ability in their athletes. It’s clearly evident that success has not precluded that trademark of Hokie sports. Johnson’s coach said it best:

"He is a really nice kid," said Brooks. "None of this stuff is going to his head. Actually, we had to push him to be a little more vocal at times.

"They say there are some players that make others around them better. He does that. That’s why we played him at quarterback."

Whatever position Johnson might play, Tech has landed as good an athlete as Maryland had to offer this year… and a very likable person too.

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