Report: Michigan Will Stick with 2016 LB Dytarious Johnson

In recent weeks, there has been speculation about whether 2016 three-star linebacker Dytarious Johnson (Prattville, AL), who committed to Michigan in June 2015, would remain a member of the Wolverines' recruiting class. The questions were based on that Michigan was running tight on spaces heading into National Signing Day and Johnson having transcript and academic issues.

However, Johnson and Prattville High coach Chad Anderson spoke with The Montgomery Advertiser's Duane Rankin on Wednesday and set the record straight. Though transcript and academic issues will prevent Johnson from signing with Michigan on National Signing Day, Michigan has told Johnson that it plans to stick with him:

"I wasn’t worried about it," said the 6-foot, 215-pound Johnson said. "[Jim Harbaugh] and I kept in contact a lot. He told me he was going to hang on with me. So I tried my best to get where I need to be."

Prattville High coach Chad Anderson said school plans to have a second ceremony for Johnson and other players in the near future.

"The coaches from (Michigan) have been really good with us," Anderson said about the transcript situation. "Their academic compliance has been good with us. Just trying to get it all sorted out so he’ll be taken care of. If he choose to, you’ll see him in Michigan uniform for sure."

So what exactly has been the problem with Johnson's transcript?

"I had transcript problems transferring from school to school," Johnson said. "The grade scale was different so all my grades are different. So I had to get that resolved to prove to them I finished school here all four years."

Johnson, who clarified he had attended Selma before coming to Prattville, said the NCAA had a "mix up" with his transcript and actually had two transcripts for him.

"We had some issues with a transcript coming from a previous school," Anderson said. "There was some mix up it as far as the final grades. Their grading scale is a little different than ours. They’re just trying to clear everything up. We’ve been working on it over a week."

But, once the transcript is sorted out, Johnson might still need to raise his GPA:

Anderson said once the transcript situation is resolved, Johnson plans to sign with Michigan and should be good to go for the fall pending Johnson’s grades.

"Just making sure he has a high enough GPA," Anderson said. "He’s done well on the ACT. Like a lot of kids, struggled early on. Not knowing the direction he needed to be in. Working on fixing that up and finishing that up here. He’s been working hard this year to keep everything up high and continue that. If he stays the course, he should be just fine."

If Johnson jumps through all the necessary academic hoops, he will be part of what currently is a 28-man Michigan recruiting class and will join his former high school teammate, Michigan early enrollee and running back Kingston Davis, in Ann Arbor.