Inside The Huskies

3-Star CB Elias Johnson Chooses Washington

The Huskies land another commitment, with ties to the school.
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3-Star CB Elias Johnson Chooses Washington
3-Star CB Elias Johnson Chooses Washington

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Washington Huskies

After loading up in the front seven on Monday, a defensive back has joined the Huskies’ 2024 recruiting class.

Elijah Johnson, 6-foot-3, 175-pound cornerback from Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon, made his commitment to Washington official on Tuesday evening following his official visit to the school this past weekend.

Johnson is a promising prospect who has flown under the radar since he didn't begin playing football until he entered high school. He ran track and also played basketball at Jesuit before shifting his focus solely to the gridiron. 

A three-star recruit according to 247 Sports, Johnson chose the Huskies over Oregon State and Washington State. UCLA also showed interest and hosted him twice on unofficial visits, but did not extend a scholarship offer.

During his 48-hour visit to Seattle, he spent a large amount of time with both co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell and cornerbacks coach Julius "Juice" Brown, who explained how he would fit in the secondary.

It didn’t take long for the lengthy defensive back to envision himself in purple and gold.

“First of all, the academics – everyone knows Washington is a prestigious school,” Johnson said of his decision.

“My grandpa went to the school; I know how good of a school it is. The second reason is Coach Juice, Coach Morrell and coach [Kalen] DeBoer especially; you saw what they did last season. They had an amazing year. I really like their defensive scheme. They run five to six DBs, which increases my chances of getting on the field and moving around on the field.”

Given his long frame, the Jesuit product is expected to come in as an outside cornerback and set up shop on Johnson’s Island. That said, both Brown and Morrell made it clear, in their eyes, he hasn’t even come close to his potential.

During his official visits to Oregon State and Washington State, those coaching staffs pulled up film of their defense and had film of Johnson doing the same thing they were seeking. The UW's Brown took that a step further.

“What coach Juice did – which I thought was pretty unique – was he would do the same thing, and then pull up a clip of me doing it. But he would either put up clips of me doing it or put clips of me doing the same thing and then coach me up when I’m doing something wrong. He was already coaching me up and I was taking it in.”

Being the first cornerback commit is an honor for Johnson. It means even more that UW didn’t bring in any other recruits at his position for an official visit in June.

Once Johnson got talking with incoming freshmen cornerbacks Leroy Bryant and Curley Reed, the trio quickly began envisioning what the secondary could look like for years to come. 

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