St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes WR Malcolm Johnson (Photo: Mary Ann Magnant/recruitNoVA)
Malcolm Johnson moves to the Class of 2020
by Jim McGrath, recruitNoVA
Malcolm Johnson, Jr. (c/o 2020, 6-1 185), the speedy wide receiver from St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes High, has verbally committed to the University of Auburn to continue his football and track careers, according to his Twitter post of August 15.
In a surprise move, Johnson also announced his intention to enroll at Auburn next week and back up his class year from 2021 to 2020, thus graduating from the Alexandria prep school in three years.
For Johnson, several key factors came into play, including his ability to compete as a football player and sprinter for a legitimate top-notch Division I program in both sports. At receiver, Johnson caught 50 passes for 854 yards (17.1 avg.) and 11 touchdowns for the Saints. Last winter, his time of 6.26 over 55-meters ranked third in the nation among high schoolers.
Still, Johnson will face a stiff challenge as he aims to earn time with the Tiger offense. Among his Auburn football classmates, he is the fourth wide receiver to have earned four-star status. And he won’t enter the lineup as the fastest player, with that designation belonging to junior Anthony Schwartz, who won a silver medal in the 100 meters at the IAAF U20 world championships in Finland in 2018, as well as a gold medal with the 4×100 relay.
With regard to his selection, Johnson told 247sports.com, “I feel like Auburn has a nice family feel and I feel like under any circumstances the school will always have my back. That was really important to me. I feel like this is a one-time opportunity. Auburn provided me a better opportunity. That was the best choice for me and my family.”
Earlier in the year, Johnson told recruitNoVA.com that he was “managing to get some workouts done in Alexandria, in spite of living 30 miles away in Charles County, Maryland.” However, with football season mostly being pushed to the spring, he decided to finalize his college choice from among more than 30 offers, with schools that included Florida, Alabama, LSU, and Georgia.
– Jim McGrath
