Since it looks like UM is seriously recruiting Nate Johnson I thought I would share what little information I have on him. As a longtime Clovis resident and avid follower of high school football in this area, I was able to watch a couple of Nate's sophmore year games in the Tri-River Athletic Conference. As a sophmore, Nate played behind a senior quarterback and only saw limited action. He was a kind of a "change of pace" guy as the senior was purely a passer. At that time I was not aware of Michigan's interest in Nate and only gave him minimal attention. I do remember thinking to myself that he was going to be very good once he received playing time. He stood out because of his quickness though his arm seemed more than adequate the few times I saw him throw the ball.
Nate is now playing his junior season, his first season as a starter. With all high school football shut down in California in Fall, 2020, the schools are all playing abbreviated Spring schedules. Clovis High is 1-2 in their first three games. Both losses are to CIF Section powers Buchanan High (ranked 1st) and Central High (ranked 2nd). Central High is, of course, the high school Xavier Worthy attended, a school that won the State Division I-A championship in 2019 when Worthy had a career receiving day.
The Tri-River Athletic Conference is composed of the 5 Clovis District schools + Central which is a large district (which fields only one football team). It is very competitive football superceded by only a few super powers like Concord de Lasalle in the Bay area and So Cal teams like Mater Dei. This Valley turns out some of the best athletes in the country but, until recently, has largely been overlooked by other than the West Coast Schools. A few years ago Oklahoma began making some inroads in here (remember Caleb Kelly?). I am hoping that UM can gain some momentum with first Worthy and now (maybe) Nate Johnson.
Attendance this Spring at all high school games around here (and I think in the state) has been limited to fami;y members. I am not one of those and have not seen a single game (whereas in previous years pre-COVID I would see 20+ each season). I am hoping that Nate ends up committing to Michigan and that I get to follow him in-person his senior year before he enrolls in Ann Arbor in 2022. Go Blue!
Nate is now playing his junior season, his first season as a starter. With all high school football shut down in California in Fall, 2020, the schools are all playing abbreviated Spring schedules. Clovis High is 1-2 in their first three games. Both losses are to CIF Section powers Buchanan High (ranked 1st) and Central High (ranked 2nd). Central High is, of course, the high school Xavier Worthy attended, a school that won the State Division I-A championship in 2019 when Worthy had a career receiving day.
The Tri-River Athletic Conference is composed of the 5 Clovis District schools + Central which is a large district (which fields only one football team). It is very competitive football superceded by only a few super powers like Concord de Lasalle in the Bay area and So Cal teams like Mater Dei. This Valley turns out some of the best athletes in the country but, until recently, has largely been overlooked by other than the West Coast Schools. A few years ago Oklahoma began making some inroads in here (remember Caleb Kelly?). I am hoping that UM can gain some momentum with first Worthy and now (maybe) Nate Johnson.
Attendance this Spring at all high school games around here (and I think in the state) has been limited to fami;y members. I am not one of those and have not seen a single game (whereas in previous years pre-COVID I would see 20+ each season). I am hoping that Nate ends up committing to Michigan and that I get to follow him in-person his senior year before he enrolls in Ann Arbor in 2022. Go Blue!
