Channel Islands Back Signs a Conditional Letter With Arizona

John Johnson, a running back at Channel Islands High, signed a national letter of intent Wednesday to attend Arizona on the condition that he meet National Collegiate Athletic Assn. academic requirements.

Johnson has maintained the mandatory 2.0 grade-point average in core curriculum classes but twice has failed to score at least 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. He said that he will take the test again in March.

Should Johnson not meet NCAA requirements before June, Arizona will withdraw its scholarship offer and urge him to attend a junior college, he said.

“I was really nervous before when I took the test because I knew I could go to any school if I passed,” Johnson said Wednesday. “Now, I know what I have to do for Arizona and I feel more relaxed.”

Johnson, the Times’ Ventura County Back of the Year, had attracted recruiters from UCLA, Oregon, Washington and Nebraska, but those schools withdrew interest when they learned of Johnson’s academic situation. He visited only Arizona and Pacific.

Johnson (5-11, 190) rushed for 3,475 yards and scored 42 touchdowns in his three-year career. He rushed for 1,672 yards and scored 27 touchdowns as a junior and added 1,185 yards and eight touchdowns last fall despite undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery at midseason. A week after undergoing surgery, Johnson rushed for 104 yards against Huntington Park.

In other news Wednesday, the first day high school seniors were eligible to sign letters of intent, Cleveland’s Sean Burwell, who had orally committed to Iowa State, changed his mind and signed with Oregon; Notre Dame defensive back Reggie Dominique signed with Northern Arizona; and Montclair Prep defensive back Michael O’Brien accepted a full grant-in-aid from Ivy League member Pennsylvania.