Aziah Johnson commits to Michigan State

Michigan State has landed another commitment in its 2023 class from three-star wide receiver Aziah Johnson out of Richmond (VA) Thomas Jefferson on Wednesday, Dec. 14. 

Johnson picked the Spartans after an official visit to East Lansing over the weekend of Dec. 2.

In addition to Michigan State, Johnson held additional offers from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Duke, and others. 

The three-star announced his commitment to Michigan State live on Instagram: 

Johnson spoke to SpartanMag and shared his excitement about committing and looking forward towards signing day. 

“(Mel Tucker) was very excited for me to have verbally committed there,” Johnson said. “I still need to sign the papers on December 21st, but he was very happy to hear that I will be coming there in June 2023. He said he is excited to get me on campus. He said he can’t wait to work with me.”

The three-star wide receiver grew up idolizing a former Spartan who excelled at a different offensive position. 

“I am a big fan of Le’Veon Bell,” Johnson said. “I have been a big fan of his since I was like 11, 12 years old. I used to play running back when I was younger. I didn’t play wide receiver until high school. I always looked up to him and wanted to be like him. I used to watch his college highlights all the time and I knew he went to Michigan State.”

Johnson also has family in Michigan that he can rely on if needed. 

“After I got that Michigan State offer it was like ‘dang’, I accomplished what Le’Veon Bell accomplished,” Johnson said. “That really excited me. That excited me to want to go there. It is not too far. I have family in Detroit, my uncle lives there. He is about an hour from East Lansing. If I want to come visit him, I have someone to talk to. If I ever need anything, I can go to him. I am not by myself.”

In addition to Tucker, Johnson also created a close bond with other Michigan State staffers. Most notably, Johnson formed a close bond with MSU’s wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins.

“Another reason I knew I wanted to commit before the visit was just talking with Coach Hawkins,” Johnson said. “He was very genuine with what he says. He told me he doesn’t care about being a senior, freshman, whatever. the best players will play. That stood out to me because a lot of teams have favoritism towards upperclassmen. Hearing that was like a lightbulb in my head.”

Beyond the staff, the three-star wide receiver was able to connect with some current Spartan players. 

“The players there. On the official visit, the people I met with were all cool,” Johnson told SpartanMag. “They made me feel like I was already at home. They made me feel like that was the place I should be.”

Following the visit, Johnson spent some time speaking with his family before making a final decision to make his commitment official. 

“I talked to my family, and they said they liked the place,” Johnson said. “After they said that they liked Michigan State, I knew I was a Spartan. This is where I want to be. We all agreed upon it and there it was.”

“It means a lot. It took some pressure off my shoulders. I feel like I made a good decision because we all agreed upon it. There shouldn’t be any problems if we all agree, I just feel like I made the right decision.”

As for the other schools still recruiting Johnson, he had the following to say: 

“I am going to shut it down.”

Michigan State now holds 13 commitments in its 2023 recruiting class. The class now ranks No. 20 in the On3 consensus team rankings.