The Clemson Insider checked back in with this Class of 2023 prospect, who has ties to the Tigers.
What Braylon Johnson, who attends Highland Springs High School (Highland Springs, Va.) has been hearing from or about Clemson is usually translated from Tigers’ cornerback Malcolm Greene, who is the older brother of one of his best friends, Miles.
Johnson has a relationship with Clemson cornerbacks coach Mike Reed, who was the lead recruiter for both Greene and K’Von Wallace, both of whom are also Highland Springs products. Additionally, Johnson’s father, who played college football at Virginia Tech, has a strong relationship with Clemson safeties coach Mickey Conn.
Johnson first met Conn after a Clemson-Louisville game in 2017. He was in eighth grade and Conn suggested that he came down to Clemson for the Dabo Swinney Camp. Johnson finally did this summer.
What’s Johnson’s overall impression of Clemson’s porgram thus far?
“Obviously they’re going to win. They’re winners,” Johnson said. “I like to win too. I hate losing. If I’m going to go to a school, I want to play and I want to win. Every year. Clemson is very consistent at making the College Football Playoff, which only four schools make it. They make it every time or at least since I’ve been paying attention. Just consistency….and then, the Dabo Swinney effect. When you’re there, even my mom recognized it and she loves Dabo. It’s like when you’re there, everyone just acts like they’re happy to be there.”
Just based on his summer visits, Johnson can tell that Clemson is just different from any other program in the country.
Now, he’s just hoping to hear from the Tigers again soon.
“Honestly, I think these next two games are going to be big for me,” he said. “The game has really slowed down for me also, so everything is really slow in terms of playing right now. These next two games, in terms of film, are going to be really good for me. I got a couple of teammates that I think are targets for Clemson, like Miles (Greene) and Takye (Heath). They also camped with me at Clemson.
“I think (Clemson) will definitely reach out over these next two games,” Johnson added.
Where is Johnson currently at with his recruitment?
“I feel like in my class, a lot of guys are rushing to commit. That’s what I feel like,” he said. “A lot of early commits. I don’t know if that’s how it’s always been because, to be honest, I paid attention to recruiting before I was getting recruited, but I wasn’t all into it. I wasn’t big into it. Now, I really follow it.”
In his own words, Johnson is “slow-playing the process,” he said. He feels like next year around this time that he’ll probably be committed. He would just like to get it over with before his senior campaign, so he can be locked in for his final season of high school football.
Johnson has a great support system of his own. His father playing college football is certainly beneficial when considering his goal to play at the next level and beyond.
In terms of recruiting, he allows Johnson to do his own thing and is supportive, but he has helped him get up until this point and helped shape the player his son has become.
“He’s been really big, in terms of knowing stuff,” Johnson said. “Him just teaching me things that helped him to be in a good position, also helps me because we have the same blood. We have a similar body type. We just think alike.”
While they think alike, Johnson’s father has never pushed him towards his alma mater. Sometimes there’s a certain expectation, especially for Johnson, to follow in your father’s footsteps. In this case, that would be at Virginia Tech. However, he’s taken a wide-open approach to his recruitment.
“Just a smart player,” Johnson said when asked to describe himself as a player. “I’m not super fast. I’m not super stronger. I’m only 165-pounds. But, I’m a lengthy corner, who has a very good football I.Q. A guy that’s really tall, who can move, who can run for his size…I’ve been around football forever. My father’s been around football forever.”
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