Decision Day: Will Alabama land yet another elite '25 ATH?
Decision day has arrived for one of the top high school football players in the Class of 2025. On Wednesday afternoon, Eastman (Ga.) Dodge County’s Darrell “Duke” Johnson will announce his college decision.
Johnson will be the second high-profile prospect who is listed as an athlete on his recruiting profile to commit this month. The other, Derick Smith (No. 4 ATH in the 2025 cycle), rewarded Alabama with his commitment on March 11. Bama is also in the final group for Johnson heading into his decision.
BamaOnLine has all the details to know about Johnson’s upcoming announcement.
Date: March 20
Time: 4:30 p.m. Central
Finalists: Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee, UCF, Florida and Texas A&M
Johnson’s social media: X (Formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram
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Alabama’s pursuit of Johnson began with Nick Saban’s staff
Duke Johnson collected an offer from the previous Alabama staff back in June 2023. He was a familiar face on campus last year as he visited for a summer camp and A-Day.
He was then re-offered by Kalen DeBoer‘s staff earlier this year, and saw Bama as soon as he could following the February dead period. Johnson was on campus for the Tide’s March 6 spring practice. Following that trip, Johnson says he was “blown away” by the visit and that the staff made him “feel like royalty.”
“Like I said before, it’s just the culture,” Johnson told BOL after his visit. “You already know when you walk in that door and if you’re doing everything that’s asked of you on a daily basis, the end result is what every kid dreams about doing: Going to the NFL. So, if you’re checking off those boxes every day, Alabama gives you that reassurance that you can play at the next level.”
Prior to that visit, Johnson informed BOL’s Andrew Bone that Alabama is his “dream school.” He’s been communicating primarily with new assistant coaches Colin Hitschler and Kane Wommack over the past few weeks. Both coaches made a good impression on him during their position group meetings and the practice itself while on his visit.
BamaOnLine has submitted our official prediction for Duke Johnson HERE.
Whoever lands Johnson on Wednesday is getting a ‘do-it-all’ type of player. Johnson plays defensive back, linebacker, and quarterback for his high school team. This year, he’ll even get some time at wide receiver.
At the Under Armour Next Camp in Atlanta last month, Johnson was tabbed as On3’s No. 2 overall performer at the event. He also recently committed to the Under Armour All-America Game that will be played in January.
Johnson checks in as the No. 34 overall junior, the No. 4 athlete, and No. 7 player in the state of Georgia, per the updated 2025 On300. With five prospects currently committed, Alabama has the No. 7 class on the 2025 On3 Industry Football Team Recruiting Rankings.
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