Ohio Football offered Samuel Johnson III, an 8th grader near Detroit, to play quarterback in 2019, at the earliest.
Ohio Football offered Samuel Johnson III, a 6-foot-3, 178 pound quarterback from Southfield, Michigan, a scholarship to play under coach Frank Solich and the Bobcats, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The catch? He’s only 14 and in the 8th grade.
Ohio and Akron have reportedly offered Johnson III a scholarship after watching his highlights, which can be seen on Youtube. Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State have expressed interest in the young quarterback, as well.
Despite the early recruitment, Johnson III would have to finish high school first and wouldn’t, potentially, play for the Bobcats until 2019 because of NCAA regulations.
Ohio Athletics was unable to comment on the offer, since Johnson III has not verbally committed to play for the Bobcats.
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Johnson III attends Oakley W. Best Middle School in Dearborn Heights and will being attending Southfield High School after his family moved to Southfield — a neighborhood about 16 miles north of Detroit.
Johnson helped lead his team, the Detroit Spartans, to the 14-under PAL, a non-profit organization, championship at Ford Field in 2014, according to the Detroit News.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Johnson III has a 3.8 GPA, as his father, Samuel Johnson II, and his mother, Shwanda, make sure he keeps his grades up, along with his work on the practice field.
"There will be more offers," Johnson II said to the Detroit Free Press. "He first got the Akron offer then Ohio offered. My wife keeps him close. She's a football mom. Like I said, Sam has been getting a lot of attention in the middle school circuit for quite some time."
Last season, Solich and the Bobcats split playing time at the quarterback position between redshirt senior Derrius Vick and redshirt junior J.D. Sprague. Sprague finished the season with 1,236 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and five interceptions. Vick accumulated 1,156 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns and four interceptions.
Johnson III highlights can be watched in the following video:
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