Road to Recovery: Michigan RB commit Donovan Johnson is healthy, ready to show he's still elite

Donovan Johnson still remembers the exact date the injury happened — May 10, 2023.

College football coaches from across the country were flocking to national powerhouse Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy to see Johnson, who, at the time, was considered a five-star level running back. Johnson was on top of the recruiting world, boasting every offer imaginable.

Spring evaluation period practices were supposed to cement Johnson as a true elite, blue chip prospect. Instead, Johnson dropped to the ground in pain. The diagnosis was one he didn’t want to hear — a torn ACL.

“Obviously, I was hurt,” Johnson said. “I stressed a little bit. It was tough. But honestly, talking to (Michigan running backs coach) Coach Tony (Alford) every day 1-on-1 helped a lot — just how to come back and the drive. I always loved football, but going through that injury showed me how much I really love football. Every second of every practice, it means something. Don’t let it go by. Closed mouths don’t get fed. I’m willing to grind and get back.

“I’m not going to lie, my emotions fluctuated. Some days I was like ‘dang, why did this have to happen?’ But I didn’t want to reminisce on the past. I wanted to keep pushing forward. That’s all you can do in life. You have to move on. That was my mindset.”

Johnson’s father, Derrick, was back home in Savannah, Georgia when he received the call with the news of his son’s injury. Hearing that would be a tough pill for any father to swallow, but it was especially devastating for Derrick.

After all, Derrick, who played college football at The Citadel, was there from Day 1 — literally.

Sitting inside a cozy, soul food restaurant, Derrick takes breaks between chowing down on some ribs and sipping on some way-too-sweet tea to talk about some of the memories he had of Donovan’s childhood. Like the time Donovan played 6U tackle football as a four-year-old or the time he started his own club track team, so Donovan could travel and compete or the time Donovan qualified for the Junior Olympics at 13 years old.

Derrick was there every step of the way.

“We cried on the phone together,” Derrick said. “But I said ‘listen man, we’re going to come back from this.’ I went down to his surgery in Florida. I bought him some herbs and things like that, and we got to rehabbing. I think it made him more humble and appreciative of having something. It made both of us appreciate the small things in life.”

Donovan spent the first three months of rehab going through physical therapy before finally being able to hop on the treadmill. All summer was focused on Donovan simply getting comfortable walking and jogging.

“It was hard,” Donovan said. “Those first couple of months were horrible, but you have to have the drive. You have to be willing to work every single day to come back. A lot of people don’t realize how much athletes put into coming back from injuries. Blake Corum had to fight back from an injury. It’s a lot of work, but like I said, I love the grind.”

Donovan eventually returned to IMG Academy but was forced to sit and watch as his teammates went a perfect 10-0 en route to being crowned national champions.

But the time on the sidelines may have been a blessing in disguise.

“I couldn’t play, so I watched how the coaches called the plays and the scheme we were running,” Johnson said. “It’s crazy to say, but sitting on the sidelines gave me a different perspective. I got to see how the coaches run the offense. Coming into this season, I have a better understanding of the game as a whole.”

While Donovan remained in good spirits while rehabbing and serving as an extra coach throughout the fall, another quandary began to take center stage — his recruitment.

Donovan notched his first offer following a fantastic freshman season at Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Baptist that saw him rush for 1,336 yards and 10 touchdowns. He earned his first FBS offer from UCF that winter when participated in the Adidas Freshman All-American Game.

Johnson, who also ran a blazing 10.6 100-meter on the track, transferred to IMG Academy that offseason, and his recruitment snowballed as premier programs like Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC all jumped in the mix as well. Johnson was getting non-stop attention from college coaches and the media.

“I paid attention to it, but I really didn’t,” Donovan said. “You see a lot of recruits that say ‘I’ve got this or I’ve got that.’ I just want to work. I love the achievements, but I’m in it for the grind. I love the grind. I loved being able to work with juniors and seniors when I was a freshman.”

All of the attention and press slowly started to fade after the injury.

Johnson’s recruitment became a mystery, and his social media showed no signs of life. In fact, Johnson’s online presence basically went completely dark during the rehab process.

“I’m going to lie, I was going a lot of interviews before,” Donovan said with a laugh. “But I wanted to focus on myself. I wanted to focus on my mental and spiritual side, too. I wasn’t posting or anything. I was just grinding. I basically deleted everything that whole rehab process. I wanted to work and come back stronger than before.”

On the flip side of the coin, Derrick, who is also known by his moniker ‘The Genius’ for his background in speed training, marketing and managing, did his best to navigate the process and check the temperature of college coaches that were once over the moon about Donovan.

Needless to say, there were a lot of tough calls and conversations throughout the offseason.

“It made us realize how to treat ourselves,” Derrick said. “You can be up in everybody’s eyes one day, but the next minute you could be a nobody — even to the people that were behind you. You have to enjoy the moment because it’s not going to last forever. We were just taking in everything. At first we thought, it was going to be Ohio State because of Tony. When Tony made the move to Michigan, I told Donovan ‘watch, Michigan is about to offer.’”

Tony, of course, is new Michigan running backs coach Tony Alford, who recruited the Johnson family hard during his time at Ohio State. Alford built strong relationships with both Donovan and Derrick and remained in constant contact after the injury.

It took a couple of weeks, but Donovan eventually got the call he was waiting for.

“I got the call from Coach Tony, and he said, ‘Hello Donovan, you’re going to come play for me,’” Johnson said. “That’s literally how he said it. We talked a long time. Obviously, I have a great relationship with him. He’s been real since Day 1. He kept it real every single day. I felt it when he said I was going to play for him. I believed him.”

Alford was right.

Donovan, who, in typical Donovan fashion, didn’t even post the offer on social media, made an unofficial visit to Michigan in June and committed to the Wolverines before the month came to an end.

“It meant so much to us that (Alford) never gave up on us,” Derrick said. “He was always there for us. He stuck up for us. He stayed loyal. That was the key. I always preach to my son that loyalty is the key. It was a no brainer when he offered us at Michigan. I said ‘let’s get ready for Michigan.’ Once he went there and got to know the school and everything else about the program, he loved it. We talked about it, and he wanted to commit. I feel great about it. I trust Tony.”

Donovan actually made his way to Ann Arbor from Atlanta, where he was doing position-specific training with private running backs coach Brad Lester, who played at Auburn.

It was there where Johnson was able to train side-by-side with former Alabama and current Atlanta Falcons running back Jase McClellan. Like Donovan, McClellan was considered a phenom as a freshman, leading Aledo to a state title in one of Texas’ biggest classifications.

McClellan also suffered a torn ACL of his own — albeit at the collegiate level. McClellan, of course, was able to rebound and was the full-time starter for an Alabama team that fell just short against Michigan in last year’s Rose Bowl. Donovan said he was able to learn a lot from McClellan, who was taken in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.

“Seeing him put in work and competing against them every day was great,” Donovan said. “We talked about his injury and coming back. He’s a great guy. We were out there competing the whole summer. He’s a dawg. I used to watch him, and he’s a great player. It was great to learn and compete with him.”

Donovan also spent some time speed training with Derrick in Savannah before and after his sessions Lester.

Sporting his signature cowrie shell necklace, Donovan geared up for one last workout with his father before reporting back to IMG. Under the scorching Georgia sun, Donovan went through several cone and ladder drills in front of a few cameras and several family members.

Donovan impressed as he showed tremendous speed and footwork. His road to recovery was quickly coming to a close.

“I feel like I’m more explosive,” Donovan said. “I feel like I’m stronger. We’ve been doing our speed training. But it’s more than just football with my dad. We have a really good connection. I spend more time with him than anybody because he’s my trainer as well. He helps me grow and pushes me every day to be a better man as well.”

Beaming with pride, Derrick added:

“I’m very impressed with him. I know he’s ready for his last season. He’s going to show the world why he’s the No. 1 running back in the country in 2025. It’s going to feel like I’m stepping on the field when he plays. I can’t wait to see him play again.”

Donovan grabs his bag from the same gym he’s been training with his father at since he was that four-year-old that played on the 6U team. He says his goodbyes and gets ready for a 2 a.m. wakeup call and long drive from Savannah to Bradenton for move in day at IMG.

Fast forward to today, and Donovan is just one more sleep away from getting back on the field. IMG is set to take on Utah powerhouse Corner Canyon in an intriguing matchup on Thursday night. It will be Donovan’s first game in more than a year.

Sure, Donovan also doubles as an aspiring architect, a talented artist and an avid reader and golfer. But the football field is where he belongs.

“I’m going to say this, I don’t have to prove it to anybody,” Donovan said. “I have to prove it to myself. If I go out there and do what I believe I can do on the field, my actions will prove it to everybody else. It’s going to be a movie this year. Y’all are going to see.”