Philadelphia’s Johnson in high demand

A change of heart is a common thing for high school players to deal with during the recruiting process leading up to National Signing Day on Feb. 2, but for Philadelphia linebacker C.J. Johnson (6-foot-3, 243-pounds, 4.63 seconds in the 40-yard dash), a recent de-commitment opened the flood gates to some new possibilities and opportunities for schools to sign him.

Johnson broke away from his verbal pledge to Mississippi State for the time being to re-evaluate where he might want to go to school. Although Johnson had been committed to play for the Bulldogs and coach Dan Mullen since the fall of his junior season, the loss of MSU assistant coaches Mark Hudspeth and Manny Diaz in the matter of month made him start to feel like Starkville may not be the best place to go. (January 13, 2011, Page 6)