Recruiting Report: Emmett Johnson (Holy Angels-2022)

One of the cooler and more underrated aspects of writing for Northstar Football News is uncovering, tracking, and hyping up the younger upcoming prep recruits the state of Minnesota has to offer. Getting ahead on the recruiting trail of a future potential highly rated recruit and helping to disperse their film and get their name out there as a underclassmen is a very cooling feeling as a writer in my position. I also can’t help but think a good one has been found with this newest recruit for this report: Academy of Holy Angels 2022 grad Emmett Johnson. The 5'11, 175 lb. sophomore is about to enter his third year of high school and is poised to make some waves coming up in Minnesota after playing varsity football for AHA in 2019 and having a impactful and impressive year. Johnson has the measurables and attitude of a future scholarship athlete, and I’m very fortunate to be one of the first writers he contacted. Check out this first-look, exclusive interview with the 2022 grad as we discuss his football career thus far, playing football for AHA, and some of his hopes for recruiting. Hope you enjoy! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8936471/5db5be5fda51130c808871bb">AHA Hudl</a> NFN: Hello and thank you for your time, Emmett! Start by introducing yourself and telling our readers where you're from, what you love about football, and anything else relevant! Johnson: "My name is Emmett Caleb Johnson and I grew up playing football in South Minneapolis and started playing football at the age of 8 at McRae Park. Some fun facts about me are that I like playing Fortnite and making Tiktoks in the little free time that I have. I like how competitive football is I also love how the game helps me build strong relationships with people and build chemistry with my teammates. I am 5’11, 171 pounds, my 40 yard dash time is 4.5 but I am working on improving that time. My bench max is 210, my squat max is 315 which was awhile ago." NFN: Awesome. Now give us some detail on your freshman year at Holy Angels in 2018, how was the season and how was your personal season? Johnson: "The 2018 AHA season was a good regular season for us. We were 8-0 at one point, which was a highlight for us. We had a tough stretch where we lost some guys due to injury towards the end of the season, which led to a short out in the playoffs against Benilde-St.Margaret’s. What I learned from that season was the importance of having a healthy team going into the playoffs, and personally taking care of my body for the playoffs, things like hydrating, icing, resting and eating healthy. Coming into Holy Angels as a freshman I had a tough start considering the fact that I had to patiently wait for the opportunity to show what I can do to impact the team. From 2018 season to the 2019 season we worked harder in the offseason remembering what happened the year before and me personally not being able to play with my older brother ever again pushed me to come back stronger and better for the next season. This all led to a successful 2019 season." NFN: Nice. So what were the expectations coming into the 2019 season and how did you guys perform under those expectations? Give us a little detail and insight into the '19 season as well if possible. Johnson: "My expectations for myself were to play a big role on the team by being a leader and contributing in any way possible to win every game. I also wanted to have a lot of rushing yards and be more efficient with my carries. My team expectation was for us to come back stronger and better and win every game. We built on last year by becoming more physical and adjusted well to and new coaching staff and built a better offensive game putting up more points than the 2018 season. I worked really hard In the off-season getting faster and stronger which really paid off in the 2019 season. Playing football at AHA means a lot it has a great culture and brotherhood. The tradition means a lot to everyone who is apart of it, we are like one big family. The fans, coaches, and teachers are great I love it here, it is a very welcoming place to be. The first 8 regular-season games of the 2019 season we finished 4-4 which was not as planned but we were really battled-tested through the season. We played against tough teams like Benilde St Margaret’s, Cooper High School, Waconia High School, and Orono High School. This all helped us be a stronger and better team for playoffs. We lost to Orono which switched our seeding for the playoffs so we got the #5 seed so we had to play Orono first round at Orono again. Things got very serious in the playoffs remembering what happened in 2018. My first carry was 35 yards which put us in a good position to score and sent an early message letting Orono know that Emmett Johnson is here. Us as a team had our best game getting revenge on a good Orono team with a future U of M commit <a href="https://www.northstarfootballnews.com/player/danny-striggow/">Danny Striggow</a>. The Benilde-St. Margaret's game was really disappointing because I felt like we were very prepared for that game. We had a really bad start to the game and it went downhill from there. We have a lot of good returning players with great experience coming back for the 2020 season. You can expect a well experienced really good 2020 AHA team. Next year is the year I feel that the preparation for the past two years will lead us up to and a successful state championship." NFN: Forsure! Congrats on the season. So what's up with recruiting? Who are you interested in, hearing from, and how has the process been? Johnson: "I am interested in every school that has shown interest in me already being Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan State, Baylor, UNI, and UND. I don't have any visits planned as of right now but after my high school basketball season is over I plan on making a few. I am open to any college that wants to recruit me no matter what level. No school has contacted me directly but they have through coaches of mine. I have not been to any camps yet but I am planning to attend some of the big ones this spring and summer in state and out of state. The recruiting has been pretty good so far I am just really getting prepared to prove myself to everyone this spring summer and next football season. I am looking for a college with great academics and that will have a great fit for me. I want to be surrounded in a great environment for success on and off the field."