Malik Johnson impressed with Kansas coaches, atmosphere
The Jayhawks first junior day featured a lot of local prospects, but they had a key visitor from outside the state. Malik Johnson, a dynamic play-maker, from The Woodlands made his way to Lawrence.
“Coach Jones and Les Miles really stood out,” he said about his visit. “Just the atmosphere. I feel like it's a winning atmosphere now, everybody's excited. The coaches talked to me a lot. They showed me around. I just loved the way the coaches were treating me.
“We went to the basketball game. It was very loud, I love the fans. The fans are very into the Jayhawk family. I love the new indoor facility.”
Johnson was an all-district selection at return specialist and can play all over the field. That was one trait that attracted the Kansas coaches.
“Coach Jones loves the way I can cut across the field real fast and I don't give people a chance to even touch me,” Johnson said. “He also likes my speed and he feels like if I can work on a couple of techniques and get some experience out there that I can be a great player one day.”
Johnson has received early interest from the Jayhawks, Texas Tech, and Virginia Tech. Kansas was the first school to offer and he likes the early relationship he has built with Jones.
“Coach Jones used to coach at Tech, and my cousin is at Tech,” Johnson said. “I've known Coach Jones for a while now. Coach Jones he showed me what they do in practice and he showed me what kind of receiver or athlete/running back I could be if I joined the Jayhawk family.”
One of the highlights of the visit was having a one-on-one sit down with Les Miles. Johnson has watched him coach several games on TV when he was at LSU.
“I'm not going to lie, when I first met him I was frozen,” Johnson said. “My heart was frozen. I couldn't talk. I was like Les Miles is in front of me and I stepped into his office to talk to him. It was breathtaking. I love Coach Miles. I know he's going to change the program around, and I'm really excited for Kansas.”
There are going to be more schools who jump into the recruiting picture for Johnson. The good news for Kansas it looks like the Jayhawks have cemented a place on Johnson’s list near the top.
“Kansas will definitely always be a top team for me no matter what because of the coaches,” Johnson said. “They're on the rise and just the way the coaches treat me. I know they really want me up there. I look up to Coach Jones and Les Miles a lot. I really respect those guys.”