Muschamp connects with Rod Johnson

An unexpected phone call made Roderick Johnson’s Thursday a little brighter.

“My head coach got a call from one of the assistant coaches at Florida this morning,” said Johnson, an offensive lineman from Delray Beach, Fla. “Then he gave me the phone, so I could talk to Coach (Will) Mushchamp.”

While on the phone with Will Muschamp, the 6-foot-6, 300-pound Johnson received big news.

“He told me he was offering me a scholarship to the University of Florida,” Johnson said. “He was telling how good the program is at Florida and how (Southeastern Conference) football is the best football in the country. He was also telling me how the campus was and the lifestyle in Gainesville.”

This was actually the first time he had ever spoken to someone at Florida.

“It kind of caught me off guard that they called for me,” Johnson said. “But when I was talking to coach Muschamp, you could tell he was a cool guy and someone that I could have a good relationship with and possibly play for.”

The American Heritage prospect has not visited Florida, but he has watched them play.

“I know they run a pro-style offense at Florida,” Johnson said. “I think I can fit into the offense well because I’m an all-around solid offensive lineman. I can run block or pass block whatever they need me to do. I will play whichever position they need me at.”

Johnson said he has five scholarship offers after the recent offer from UF.

“UCF, USF, West Virginia, SMU and now Florida have all offered me,” he said. “Some other teams are talking to me but no offer yet.”

Johnson doesn’t have many visits planned, but he does have one possible trip in his near future.

“My coach was talking to me about going to Florida on March 24, so we will most likely visit then,” Johnson said. “I’m not sure about any other visits right now.”

Johnson said he will most likely wait until national signing day before announcing a decision.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.