Isaiah Johnson Talks Syracuse Visit, Has Decision Date Set
Dartmouth transfer Isaiah Johnson is one of the top cornerbacks in the portal. The 6-3 defensive back was offered by Syracuse shortly after entering the portal. Syracuse was also the first school to contact him. Johnson spent the weekend on the Syracuse campus for an official visit to get a closer look at the program.
"It was great," Johnson said. "It was a great experience. It's been four years since the last time I took a visit. So it was really funny and different to get a chance to go through that experience again. Four years older, four years of maturity. You were looking at a lot of different things and they respected the fact that I'm an older guy. Took away a lot of the fluff and the show, and got to see what was important. I got to see the campus, got to see how it would be being a student, the living situation. And obviously heavily focused on the football facilities.
"For me, it was seeing what's the culture like, who are the people, and if it was a place I could really grow as a person. The mindset that coach Babers is setting up at Syracuse, yeah they've had their ups and downs, but it felt like he has that foundation in place where a few acquisitions, a few people coming in, a few movements and Syracuse could be something special. That's what they were trying to show me and I think they did a really good job. I had a good time and I got a really good vibe from the place."
Johnson spent a lot of time with the Syracuse coaches discussing how his skill set fits into the system and what his role would be if he picks the Orange.
"Obviously they still have Garrett Williams, who came back trying to get a better grade coming out next year," Johnson said. "With me they just straight up told me I have a chance to come in and compete for a job. They do have a younger guy who did play last year Duce Chestnut on the other side. They just said they like my size and my physicality on film. That I'm a good tackler and I enjoy it. They also like my football IQ and how I'm a smart guy, obviously I'm from the Ivy League, but I also take pride in watching film.
"They mentioned that and I got to sit down with them and go through a little tape. It was building that sense of what would it be like if I was already part of the team. What would it be like if I was in the film room with them. They made it known that they felt like if I were to go there they would do a good job of developing me as a person and a player to help me get to my goal of playing in the league (NFL)."
Johnson also spent time with the current Syracuse players to get a feel for what life is like as part of the program.
"My host was Eric Coley," Johnson said. "He's going into his sixth year, finishing up his graduate school. It was good getting to talk to him because he's already in the position I will be if I do decide to go to Syracuse. It was good to see the school through his eyes and he was just a cool guy overall. He spent some time in Michigan on the west side, a little ways away from Detroit where I'm from. I loved the vibe from him. I got to meet Garrett, I got to meet Mikel the linebacker. He actually knows two of my teammates who are at Dartmouth so we connected really well. He was cool and I got to meet some of the other guys like a few of the safeties, I got to talk to Duce, Stef another linebacker. It was a good time. I did click with them. They were some great guys."
With the Syracuse visit in the rearview mirror, Johnson is ready for the next step in his recruitment. He has a decision date set and will pick his next destination at that time.
"Going in I had boxes I wanted to check," Johnson said. "I felt Syracuse, everything that they showed me, had something to do with those boxes so I could either check it or not check it. It was a good experience and it gave me a chance to really build a solid decision. I actually plan to make my decision real soon coming this next following week. I'm going to let the signing day run its course for the high schoolers. I have my own thing the next week. My process is coming to an end. The portal got a little hectic after the bowl games and I feel like I've done my time, I've done my due diligence and considered my options. It's about time I leave it.
"I have a firm date. It's my sister's birthday, February 7th. She passed away when I was five years old. That's the same day I signed my high school national intent letter. It's a special day to me and that's when I feel like it's the right time to make my mind up."
Besides Syracuse, Colorado, Vanderbilt and Louisville are also involved with Johnson's recruitment.
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