Michigan QB JD Johnson making comeback after medical retirement in HS
In 2019, three-star Pinnacle High School (Phoenix) quarterback J.D. Johnson was on his way to playing Div. 1 football. He had a handful of offers, including one from the University of Michigan.
But Johnson discovered that he had a heart defect during a physical with Michigan, which forced him to medically retire from football. However, Michigan honored its scholarship offer, and Johnson joined the program as a student assistant.
After spending two seasons with the Wolverines, Johnson some good news that has provided hope for a future in football: The quarterback announced on Friday that he has been re-evaluated and is coming out of retirement.
In the Twitter graphic, Johnson wrote that the evaluation was performed by “a world-renowned cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic, who concluded that I should be permitted to play college football.”
Johnson expressed gratitude to Michigan and head coach John Harbaugh in the tweet.
“I am blessed to have been given practice & game day responsibilities to aid in my development,” Johnson wrote. “The mentorship I have received from Coach (John) Gattis and Coach (Matt) Weiss has not only made me a better person, but more intelligent/prepared player.”
With that announcement, Johnson entered the transfer portal to find a program where he could play quarterback. There has been mutual respect between the quarterback and Michigan, with Harbaugh in September saying that Johnson is “like a player-coach.”
In 2020, Johnson was ranked the No. 17 pro-style quarterback on the 247Sports Composite Rankings. The outlet reported he had eight offers, including Arizona, Oregon and South Carolina.
With the medical report that Johnson can play again, he’ll have a chance to get new offers and find a new home.