Damon Johnson Talks Commitment to West Virginia and Glendora Football

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

West Virginia added a key piece to their 2016 recruiting class on Monday when Damon Johnson’s commitment was announced. The addition of a long snapper is not something that will typically excite a given fan base but the Mountaineers should be excited because they landed one of the best in the nation.

Johnson (6’0”, 205) is not an average run of the mill high school long snapper, he’s a specialist. As the game of football has grown into a year round sport with 7×7 teams, other areas of the game have evolved as well. Johnson has participated in several Chris Rubio and Chris Sailer kicking, punting, and long snapping camps becoming one of the top recruits in the nation at his position based of his game and camp performances.

On the high school gridiron, Johnson has had ample opportunity to show off his stuff with his high school team, Glendora, posting an 11-4 record in 2014 and off to a great start this season with a 5-1 record. When Johnson snaps, he hits the trifecta of what a snapper is supposed to do, be accurate, consistent, and fast.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I caught up with Damon after his commitment to get his thoughts on becoming a Mountaineer and a quick update on how the Tartans are looking so far this season.

Interview

Damon, first, congratulations on your commitment to West Virginia.

“Thank you.”

Was your visit to West Virginia over the weekend your first official visit?

“That was my first official. I did a couple visits with other schools but really that was my only visit. I did a visit with SC (Southern California), Colorado, and West Virginia. My first official was the one I took to West Virginia this past weekend.”

When you went to West Virginia what all did you do on your trip?

“On Friday, they took me out to dinner and gave me a tour of the campus. Then they took me to the game Saturday night. That was really it. Mostly a lot of touring, hanging out with the football guys, and going to the football game. I got to meet with the head coach, Dana Holgorsen. That really made a big impact on my recruitment considering they were all really nice guys and welcoming of me.”

What did they say they liked about you skill set?

“(Coach Joe) DeForest (special teams coordinator and safeties coach) emphasized how much he loves my speed and size. It is really hard to find a snapper that can snap as fast as I can but is athletic as I am. Some snappers are on the heavier side and they don’t run as well. He liked my frame. He said they’re going to start working on me with my size and now they want to put some weight on me. He really was emphasizing working out over the next four years at West Virginia and getting better with my footwork.

What was it about your trip to Morgantown that made West Virginia the school for you?

“I think it was the city of Morgantown alone. I love it. It’s a college town. That whole city is about the football program and the college. Coming from LA you have all the different teams, NBA, NFL, MLB and college teams but at West Virginia that’s all they have. The fact that they are so into it, meeting with all the football players, that’s all they kept talking about, about how great it is to have their fan base and support base. That was what really stood out for me on my visit. That’s what I kept in mind when making my decision.”

Who did you committed to on the WVU staff?

“DeForest, he’s the assistant head coach, he works with the safeties and he’s also the special teams coordinator.”

How did the commitment take place?

“He called me when I landed in California. He asked about my visit and how I like it. He said, “So, are you thinking about committing? How do you feel about it?” On my mind right then, I really liked West Virginia. I told him I was ready to be a Mountaineer and start my career at West Virginia. I told him I can’t wait to be there and I thanked him a lot for the opportunity. It was something I knew I was going to do but did not know when. I had it preplanned in my mind so when he called knew it was the right time.”

Are you going back to the WVU campus for another visit before signing day?

“I’m going to try to but I really don’t know with their schedule and mine. I hope to go out there, but right now there are no future plans to do so.”

Have you closed off your recruiting?

“Yeah. Obviously there is no intention of changing that. I’m closing it off and focusing on what I have.”

How is your senior season going so far?

“It’s pretty good. We’re 5-1. My snapping has been good. I feel like it’s been a great year, my senior year. It’s been really fun playing my last year. We’re doing well and we just beat our archrival (South Hills 28-7) and the league champs from last year. Feeling pretty confident.”

How is school going?

“It’s going good. Senior year is always the hardest because you’re almost done. School is going good though. I’m trying to get all my stuff out the way, all of my essays, so I can make my second semester as easy as possible.”

Now that you have committed to WVU is there anything specific you’re going to work on before heading to campus over the summer?

“I’m excited to get back to my craft. Some people have the tendency to stop working after they get their offer and commit. I’m trying not to do that. I’m going to keep working on my craft until I go report in June.”

Photo credit: twitter.com; No. 26 Damon Johnson poses with teammates after a game.