Isaiah Johnson Honors His Late Sister With Syracuse Commitment

The Dartmouth transfer cornerback discusses decision to pick the Orange.

Syracuse football picked up a commitment on Monday from Dartmouth transfer cornerback Isaiah Johnson. All Syracuse caught up with Johnson to find out with the Orange was the best fit to continue his collegiate career. 

"My biggest thing going in was development," Johnson said. "Finding a place where I could be comfortable in the system and environment, but the most important thing is just getting better. So the next time I take a chance at the league, it's my best shot and I can put my best foot forward. Looking at the resume of the coaching staff, looking at the people they have there, the players and the culture, it was the right place for myself to go and develop. A year, two years ago they had three DBs alone in a single year go to the NFL. One corner, one rover and one safety. 

"One of them was kind of my body type (Ifeatu Melifonwu) and he's actually out in Detroit. So I got to watch him in the league. That factored in with when I went on my visit it was a great vibe. A great overall atmosphere. So I felt comfortable and I had conversations with my parents, especially my dad. He's been the person going through this process the closest with me. After talking about it and praying about it, it was the right fit and I made the call." 

The call was made on February 7th, a very personal day for Johnson. His sister's birthday. 

"My sister died a week before my fifth birthday and we had the funeral on the day of my birthday," Johnson said. "I've always felt like I needed to honor her through how I live life. She always loved New York and actually went to college there. She passed when she was 21. Getting the opportunity to play football in New York, and hopefully having a chance to return to my old high school number 21 in honor of how old she was when she passed, makes this moment so much more special for me. 

"She's my guardian angel and I always feel her watching over me but today when I made my decision official, on her birthday, I felt a little closer to her." 

The coaching staff's message about how he fits into the defensive scheme was an important part of Johnson's final decision. 

"Obviously they have who've played really good ball in the past," Johnson said. "The ACC is known for going really fast and they don't have a lot of depth. They like to rotate in the 3-3-5. Overall, I'm a good tackler and coach mentioned he wants to be able to have his corners with their eyes on the quarterback so if they do run they can come up and make the play. A lot of people in the ACC do want to go to the stretch game with the quick bubbles, the stretch plays, they want to get out there and force corners to tackle. 

"With my size, what I put on tape, I'm a good tackler and the coaches like that. More than that, just being physical in man and being a guy who can be put on an island. At Syracuse, that's what they do. They need their corners to be able to be comfortable out there." 

The 6-3 cornerback joins a secondary with a plethora of talent returning and coming in. He believes that talent will make the Orange difficult for opposing passing attacks next season. 

"Honestly we have high expectations," Johnson said. "Garrett's a guy who's going to be in the league and we'll see him on Sundays. Obviously I'm trying to make it to the league, and Duce is a hell of a player as a young guy also. Hopefully nobody can throw against us with the talent we're bringing in and what Syracuse already has. We should be a secondary that's very difficult to pass against." 

What can Syracuse fans expect from the Dartmouth transfer once he arrives on campus?

"I'm a low key guy," Johnson said. "I stay to myself and I handle my business. But overall, I'm fun and I'm going to make sure the fans feel my energy on the field and my teammates feel my energy on the field. I'm going to make sure we get some wins. I know the fans are going to appreciate that."