Top 2020 OL Paris Johnson Jr. Connected With Kelly and Quinn

2020 St. Xavier (Ohio) offensive lineman Paris Johnson‍ is one of the most coveted offensive line prospects in the country regardless of class. The 6-foot-7, 260-pounder and his family made their way to Notre Dame on Saturday, and things couldn’t have gone better. 

“It went very, very well,” Johnson told Irish Sports Daily. “We had a great experience overall today.” 

Johnson had been looking forward to meeting offensive line coach Jeff Quinn, and the two hit it off right off the bat. 

“It was my first time meeting Coach Quinn,” stated Johnson. “He’s a great person. He was very passionate about going over some of the videos he was showing me. If he’s able to teach my mom about things going on the field while she’s sitting there, I know I’m going to get it down if he’s my coach.

“As a family, we feel comfortable with him. We think he’s a great coach.” 

Johnson’s father, who is the Assistant Director of Player Personnel at Pittsburgh, joined his son on the trip and came away impressed with head coach Brian Kelly. 

“It was a great opportunity to spend time with Coach Kelly and get to know him a little better beyond the television and what’s printed in the paper,” said the elder Johnson. “To get to meet the person was great. 

“We feel like we have a good feel for Coach Kelly and the direction of the program. We went away feeling whatever decision Paris makes, we will continue to support him.” 

The St. Xavier star echoed his father when it came to Kelly. 

“He’s a great person. As a family, we had time to come in and talk with him. We just talked about the opportunities I could have at Notre Dame. There wasn’t any type of negative recruiting because he felt they didn’t need to go that route.”

Notre Dame will battle in-state Ohio State for Johnson, and he feels comfortable with both programs at this stage of his recruitment.

“I like both coaching staffs,” stated Johnson. “It’s too early to compare both schools because neither school likes to compare themselves. They like to have their own unique identity. 

“We’re looking at the positives of both programs. They’re both great programs. There hasn’t been anything that puts one school ahead.” 

Johnson will now turn to mapping out a plan for unofficial visits this spring and summer. It will be a busy schedule as he holds over 30 offers, but two Midwest programs will get visits in the near future. 

“Right now, we’re still planning my schedule out,” said Johnson. “I know I will be visiting Michigan and Michigan State, but there’s a pretty extensive list after those schools.”