2023 QB Target Avery Johnson Excited For Notre Dame Return

The last time Avery Johnson‍ was in South Bend, he left with a scholarship offer from Notre Dame.

The 2023 Kansas quarterback will return this weekend for the Irish’s game against USC and he’s excited.

“Of course,” Johnson told Irish Sports Daily this week. “Just getting back and seeing the whole gameday vibe and everything that I've talked about with Coach (Tommy) Rees when I went down there and visited.

“He explained everything that went on during gameday. I just want to get down there so I can see everything in person and experience it.”

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Johnson threw for the Irish staff during a camp setting in July and was informed he’d earned a scholarship offer afterward.

“They liked what they saw when I camped for them, so that's why they offered me,” said Johnson.

And now, the ball is in Johnson’s court in a sense.

“Pretty much, they're just waiting on what my decision is,” he said. “It's pretty much just been them contacting me, texting me, us having regular conversations, but both knowing that he has a season that he has to focus on and that I have a season I have to focus on as well.”

The Maize High School standout also has offers from schools like Auburn, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Florida State and Arkansas among others.

He said he’s watched most of the Irish’s games on television so far this season and has been impressed with the Irish’s offense.

“I like it,” said Johnson. “Coach Rees obviously knows what he's doing and I enjoy watching them play. I definitely could see myself fitting in their offense.”

He’s taken trips to Arkansas and Kansas State so far this season.

“The first one, I went to Arkansas,” said Johnson. “It was a great environment because they played Texas and actually beat Texas. The stadium was going wild and everything.

“Being able to go see K-State play last weekend was also good too, just kind of getting to see that in-state team play. I've been to a few K-State games before, so I definitely enjoyed that as well. They didn't come out with the win, but it was definitely a good experience.”

He’s planning to visit Ole Miss and Tennessee later this season and possibly some others.

“I'm just going to have to see where it takes me,” he said.

But he doesn’t expect the recruiting process to play out all that long.

“I think I'm going to end up making my decision within the next few months. Whenever my season ends, I'll kind of break everything down and then make the decision from there.”