Bounceback Commitment Report: Johnson Fallah (Osseo/UMN-Crookston)
Johnson Fallah Johnson Fallah DB Osseo | 2018 State MN had a wild 2019. The former Osseo Orioles standout defensive-back was doing his thing and grinding at the University of Minnesota-Crookston and had finished up his RS sophomore season and heading towards Christmas Break when – on December 10th – he and his Golden Eagle teammates found out with the rest of us at the UMC had decided to discontinue its football team. The decision came following a NSIC rule change that allowed teams to maintain their eligibility in the conference without a football and after the Athletic Department reviewed its budget, and the Golden Eagles were joined by fellow NSIC competitor St. Cloud State in dropping its football team. A sad day for Minnesota and Division II football all together, the biggest victims were by far the players, and Fallah along with his friends and teammates found themselves once again caught up in the recruitment process. Although obviously different from the recruiting coming out of high school, this transfer portal experience was even more crucial more Fallah and although the University gave them the option to stay at the school on scholarship, it was never an option for him to give up playing football. The 6’1, 180 lber. quickly received offers from Southwest Minnesota State and Quincy University, Fallah grabbed January 2020 scholarships from Wayne State, Northern State, and Waldorf University and had a lot more schools calling as well. However, by the 9th of January one school had stood out above all others, and Fallah turned down all of those scholarships and committed to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Tommies got a great one, and PrepRedzone was more than excited to see the former MN prep continue playing football in college. Now that the dust has settled and #30 is locked in on UST, Fallah was kind enough to answer some questions about his career at Osseo and the recruitment process coming out of high school, Crookston cutting its program and what the transfer portal was like, what stood out to him about the Tommies, and more. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
Fallah returns a pick for OsseoPRZ: Hello and congratulations on the commitment to UST, Johnson. Please begin by telling us a little bit about your prep career at Osseo and some memorable moments there. Also, please talk about the recruitment process out of high school and what made you commit to Crookston.
Fallah: “Overall my career at Osseo was pretty great, both academically and sports-wise. I see myself as more than just an athlete because I was proud to end my high school career with a 3.3 GPA, but at the same time sports had a really big impact on me in high school. I was a three-sport athlete in high school and I played basketball and football and ran track and field and I didn’t start playing football ever until my sophomore year of high school. I would have played earlier but my parents were – especially my mom – was really worried about me getting hurt so that’s why I didn’t start playing until later, but I’m glad that I did. My sophomore year I played WR and a little bit of CB. As a junior I started at CB and I ended up having a great season in only my second year playing football and first season starting. I ended up having four interceptions and after my junior season a lot of schools invited me to their visits and junior days like FCS schools such as NDSU, SDSU, and then the top DII schools like Mankato, Duluth, and a lot of DIII schools like St. Thomas and St. John’s all wanted me for spring visits or junior days. So fast-forward to my senior year which was great as I had another great season even though we didn’t meet our goal of making it to state, I ended up having four interceptions. Getting recruited for football was kind of a shock as I always saw myself playing college basketball, but after my senior season of football I started thinking a lot about it, and since I had way more schools talking to me for football than basketball at all different levels I just decided to take the opportunity. Crookston was the first school to offer me a scholarship after my junior year, and the reason I committed was because I knew going in it was going to be hard as they weren’t the best team or had the best facilities compared to other schools in the conference, but I wanted to make an impact and make a change and help turn a program around. And since I knew they were a part of the University of Minnesota system I knew I’d get a good education which is big for me and my family. Also, the coach at the time who was recruiting me really showed me that they cared about me as a person and they believed I could do great things at the school both academically and athletically.”
Fallah’s first collegiate interception for the Golden Eagles.PRZ: Now talk about your Golden Eagle career! How’d you play and how was the 2019 season?
Fallah: “My freshman year at Crookston I redshirted and it was pretty surprising as I felt I could play right away, but now I’m actually pretty glad I did as I got to see all of the great athletes in the conference and took bits of what they did – like when I watched the corners on the other teams play – and it helped me as well because I got to hit the weight room and get myself bigger, faster, and stronger and just better myself overall. So my sophomore year (RS freshman) I started at Free Safety and had to transition from playing corner my whole career but I think that shows how versatile I am and that I can play CB or S and am a fast learner. Halfway through the year though I had to move back to corner, and I would play both for the rest of the year depending on what the team needed. It was a great RS freshman season, I ended up making tons of plays and recorded an interception and around 50 tackles with 2 TFLs but overall it was a great RS freshman season at Crookston.”
Fallah with the big hit.PRZ: Get into how it felt hearing that your college football team had been terminated. How did you hear the news and what were some emotions you were feeling throughout the crazy position you found yourself in.
Fallah: “So when I found out the school was cutting the team it was actually on social media on Twitter and the article said that St. Cloud and Crookston were shutting their teams down, and to be honest I was pretty pissed. How are we about to find out about it on social media and not from the school? And three hours later after reading the article they told us they were shutting it down. I knew we didn’t have the best facilities in the conference, or the best support, but what really pissed me off was when the Chancellor told us that they didn’t see us competing with the other teams in the conference and that plus the lack of stuff we had was why it was cut. That just showed a lack of faith in us and they totally just blind sided us with the news. Why were we even there we they thought we couldn’t compete? After she said that the whole team was pretty upset, and after she said that some of the team and I left the room because I just felt betrayed by her and the Athletic Department there because they said they thought about cutting the program 18 months ago which would have been as I was entering as a freshman so if I would have known this in high school I never would have committed to Crookston in the first place. And they told us this during our finals week, so imagine being in a 18-22 year olds place and having to decide if you want to leave, where you’d go, and then have to figure out how to handle your finals as well. I was also sad for all the juniors who had to find a new home to play at with only one season left, it just seemed so much harder for them.”
#30PRZ: Elaborate on the recruitment process once you entered the transfer portal. How was it different from your recruitment in high school and who were some teams you were hearing from.
Fallah: “For this recruitment I knew it’d be a little different. I had a lot of schools looking at me after high school, so I knew if I made a great highlight tape and put it on social media I could get a lot of attention from schools, and I was right. The attention and feedback I got from coaches in college was way better than after high school and first did a highlight tape. So pretty much all of the schools in the NSIC offered, I had a lot JUCOs looking at me, some FCS schools, a lot of DIIIs were looking at me too, and I just felt grateful for the opportunity to find a new home. Especially for me since I wanted to get out of Crookston right away, so after I finished my fall semester there I left and I didn’t want to finish the whole school year because to be honest I just couldn’t do it. At that point I didn’t even trust the school enough to be there, and I just wanted to be home. It was stressful though, but I ended up finishing that fall semester with a 3.5 GPA which is something I’m really proud of because it was a pretty stressful time. Schools were telling me they could see playing both corner and safety, and were telling me all of the things a recruit wants to hear so I just felt really grateful. But as time got closer to the spring semester I really realized that I was looking for a school that was close to home, had a great education base, and was a place where I could get a great job after I graduate. So it really came down to not caring about what level, because I knew that with my talent and ability I could go anywhere and play and be one of the best players and I really just wanted to keep playing football. It ended up coming down to St. Thomas or St. John’s and I knew about how great both programs were, but UST ended up having the edge because it’s legit 25 minutes from my house. That means my parents could see me every gameday, visit whenever they wanted, and St. Thomas can give me a great education. As I’m a Business Management major, I knew it was a top program at the school and I knew they had great connections to help me get a job after college and start a career.”
INT at OsseoPRZ: Share what ultimately stood out to you about St. Thomas and what made you commit there? How did the Tommies stand out during the process?
Fallah: “The coaches there are amazing. Coach Caruso is an even better guy than he is a coach, and what him and the other coaches did for me on my visit – along with the players there – made me feel really special. Also, I did attend a UST basketball camp in 5th or 6th grade so I already had a lot of love for the school. The fact that Coach Caruso is such a great guy, such a great coach, and such a great person really made me feel like I could trust him and the school again. I just knew I could have a great career after sports and college are done. So it’s a combination of all of those things that really made me excited to be a Tommie. I’m really excited I decided to leave Crookston early, and even more happy to be a St. Thomas Tommie. My parents are pumped to see me too, which is a great feeling. Also, the campus is pretty and its in the Twin Cities.”
PRZ: What can we expect from you the next two seasons in the purple and white of the Tommies? What are you excited for about DIII football? What kind of player are the Tommies getting?
Fallah: “First, I don’t care it’s DIII, they’re one of the best Division III football teams in the country. I knew that coming in, so I also figured that it wasn’t going to be easy to start right away – especially as a transfer – but with my talent and what I can bring to the table in terms of working my butt off to help the team win games, do whatever is needed, and go above and beyond what’s necessary to help the team win. I care about winning, my teammates, my coaches, the school, and my dad always taught me the value of hard work so they’re going to get that guy. I want to win the MAIC, I want to beat St. John’s and I’m really excited for that game as I already have it marked on my calendar, and I want to go to the playoffs and win a national championship, and at St. Thomas I know I can do all of that and reach my full potential on and off the field.”
PRZ: Are there anymore of your unsigned teammates still needing a home next season?
Fallah: “First off thank you to you for putting my name and my teammates names out there on social media. Due to your help and some help from others most of my teammates were able to find new schools to go to, and for that I really appreciate it so thank you. I’m really happy most of my teammates found new places to play, but some are still looking for homes. I’m really happy for them and wish them the best at their new schools, and I hope they finish their careers strong and make great impacts on their new teams. I have love for those guys at Crookston, and overall being with those guys was a great learning experience and I still talk to most of them to this day. I’m truly grateful for the learning experience at Crookston because it helped me grow as a person and I learned that hard work is all you need to reach your goals and whenever you get knocked down in life, don’t give up, have faith in God, and he will help you reach your dreams.”
Thank you Johnson Fallah Johnson Fallah DB Osseo | 2018 State MN , and go Tommies!