These are the best of times for Ramone Johnson.
Morgan Park's 6-5, 315-pound offensive lineman is rated among the top three prospects in the Chicago area for the 2005 season and is being recruited by dozens of major colleges that treat him like a rock star.
"I'm having fun with recruiting,'' Johnson said. "But I know it will only go so far. So I'm having fun while it lasts. I enjoy going to different schools and exploring the campuses and meeting new people. And I meet some famous people, too. At Notre Dame, I met Joe Montana. It shows where I could be in five to 10 years.''
But Johnson is alert to the dark side of the recruiting process.
"It is kind of pressuring, too,'' he said. "When I am at a school, they want me to commit right away. But I'm not ready. My game plan is to visit as many schools as possible during the summer. I don't want recruiting to interfere with my football season.''
Johnson is sorting out colleges like he sorts out defensive linemen. He has received scholarship offers from Illinois, Northwestern, Iowa State and Toledo. He is considering Notre Dame, Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Kansas. The list figures to get bigger before it gets smaller.
Morgan Park coach Lexie Spurlock compares Johnson to Phillip Hawkins, a 1999 graduate who played at Houston and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent on April 29.
"Hawkins was the best tackle I've had in 11 years. But Johnson is better at this point,'' Spurlock said. "Ramone will do well at the next level if he continues to improve. He is doing something we like linemen to do, be a finisher, finish his block, keep driving through the defensive lineman until the whistle blows. When we run to his side, he usually pancakes his man.''
Johnson has several goals this season. Most of all, he hopes he and his widely recruited teammates, quarterback Demetrius Jones and receiver Chris James, will lead Morgan Park to a state championship. At the same time, he hopes to establish himself as the best offensive lineman in the state, if not the country.
"I challenge him to be the best lineman in America,'' Spurlock said. "Everything he does should be geared toward achieving that. What should he be doing? At lunch? After school? I want him to be a complete individual. Character is important, who you are when no one is watching. How are you conducting yourself? It means more than athletic performance. It is about your total being -- social, mental and physical.''
Johnson understands he is in position to build a great future for himself. Morgan Park has developed dozens of college players. Corey Mays is a starting linebacker at Notre Dame, Hawkins signed with the Ravens and Karlton Neal, who played at Tennessee, signed a rookie free-agent contract with the Tennessee Titans.
"When I was a freshman, I didn't consider football. I thought basketball was cool,'' Johnson said. "But I didn't know I could knock people down for fun. [Spurlock] persuaded me to go out for football. When I saw college coaches recruiting other players, I saw how serious it was, that I could go to college for free, that I could make something of myself. "The decision I made to come to Morgan Park was a blessing [his older brother Michael played football at Leo, then transferred to Morgan Park, and Ramone opted to follow him]. Now I want to prove I am the best lineman in the state. My philosophy? Take no prisoners and keep doing what I've been doing, beating defensive linemen.''
