UCF is the 'perfect spot' for five-star WR Jordan Johnson

Gus Malzahn and UCF made headlines this week with the commitment of Jordan Johnson, a former five-star wide receiver in the 2020 class who recently entered the NCAA Transfer Portal following his freshman year Notre Dame.

The St. Louis native was just as highly recruited this time around, ultimately choosing UCF over Florida, Missouri, Texas A&M, Auburn and many others.

For insight into his decision, UCFSports.com caught up with Jerry Stanfield, an assistant coach at Johnson's high school, De Smet Jesuit, who also has been training him during the offseason as owner of Excel 360 Academy.

Entering college in 2020 wasn't optimal for anyone. Football players missed the bulk of summer workouts while most early meetings were held virtually. The same went for academic classes. It was an adjustment for returning players, but an even bigger challenge for those just leaving high school.

"I remember when Jordan was at home training last year, we didn't really know when he would be able to get up there (to Notre Dame)," Stanfield said. "It was really difficult for all those 2020 guys and I think it did hinder his development a little bit."

Johnson was anxious to make an immediate impact at the college level, but progress wasn't as fast as he had anticipated.

"Jordan is a very competitive kid," Stanfield said. "He went to Notre Dame with very high expectations for himself. I told him to let your expectations be more realistic. Don't let other people put expectations on you. He came in with the five-star ranking over his head and I think he felt he had to show everybody he's that five-star guy. That's not always easy to do coming from high school to college and now there's all these other challenges."

Though he saw little game action, Stanfield believes Johnson's fall and spring in a major college program will pay dividends.

"You can learn a lot by taking mental reps," Stanfield said. "I think he was excited to be there participating, going through the whole process as a freshman. I think he learned a lot. He understands what he needs to become and where he wants to go. I just worked him out yesterday and he looks good. We'll be back out working today. He's got about two weeks before he needs to be down at UCF and he's trying to get better and improve. He's absolutely still working."

As a five-star prospect in high school, recruiting was obviously crazy back then. It was just as crazy when Johnson entered the transfer portal early last week.

"One of the first things when I spoke to him he said, 'Coach, it's like I'm being recruited all over again,'" Stanfield said. "For some people, that sounds like a good thing but it can be a stressful thing too. When you have the opportunity to have a second chance to go through the process you hope you've learned from the previous process. I think he was probably a little wiser in what he was looking for. He mapped out what he wanted. After talking with UCF, Gus Malzahn and all those guys, he felt it was the perfect spot for him."

Johnson spoke most extensively with a handful of other schools, including Florida, Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Auburn.

"I know Jordan was intrigued by UCF right from the start," Stanfield said. "He was mentioning all the schools that had reached out and I remember this past Saturday when I spoke with him he said UCF is a school he's really highly considering. He was extremely excited about it. There was something in the communication with that coaching staff that he really liked. That's the biggest thing he mentioned to me, the relationship he was building there. They had a great plan. He feels like they'll give him the opportunity to play and he feels he can really help the program."

Stanfield said Johnson made his final decision this past Monday, right before he put out a tweet that stated he would announce on Tuesday at 12 noon.

"There were other schools, but I think he was looking for a program that's of course going to throw the ball a lot," Stanfield said. "That's the biggest thing. He's a great team player. He wants to contribute. Of course, UCF has been very successful here recently. I think with Coach Malzahn there and having the ability to go into that type of offense with his talent, he's really excited about that."

Johnson will be the first five-star prospect to put on a UCF uniform and Stanfield believes that talent will blossom early.

"Jordan is a very explosive kid," Stanfield said. "He's fast. Very crafty with his route running. He's got really good hands. He's going to bring the whole complete package. I think one of the things people don't give him enough credit for is he's an excellent blocker as well. He's a guy that's got the speed to blow the top off. He has ability to run some really good routes. He can play X or Z on either side. He's also the ultimate team player."