Johnson makes early decision and commits to Arizona

Arizona revamped its defensive staff over the winter and along with adding a new look to the defense Rich Rodriguez did so to inject some more life into his program's recruiting efforts. Receivers coach Tony Dews put down the groundwork and Donté Williams helped close the deal Tuesday night for one of Arizona's biggest commitments of the Rodriguez era when Rivals100 athlete Greg Johnson gave UA his pledge.

The four-star prospect who is currently rated No. 99 overall in the 2017 class chose Arizona over 24 other offers including USC, UCLA, Oregon and Florida among others. A weekend visit to Tucson last weekend pushed Johnson over the top and he decided Tuesday night was going to be the night he ended his recruitment.

As a junior Johnson cannot sign with the Wildcats until next February, but it is another important piece for the Wildcats early in the 2017 class and a statement commitment for Arizona's coaches with the attention it has put on recruiting this year.

Johnson was able to see Tucson over the weekend when his Augustus Hawkins teammates joined him on a visit to UA and Arizona was able to continue to build its case for the four-star recruit joining the class. Many programs have worked to gain an advantage at Hawkins with a number of prominent recruits playing for the Los Angeles-based high school team including five-star recruit Joseph Lewis.

Adding Johnson gives Arizona an in to the program that also has numerous notable recruits in the 2018 class as well.

While Johnson's decision could spark a run for Arizona when it comes to recruiting buzz for the 'Cats on the field there is a reason he is rated so high. The 5-foot-11 recruit has the potential to play on either side of the ball as either a running back or cornerback at the next level.

Last season rushed for 1,108 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching 28 passes for 422 yards and six more scores. On defense he finished with 42 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions and six pass deflections. As a sophomore Johnson rushed for 2,371 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The four-star recruit joins four-star quarterback Braxton Burmeister and quarterback Rhett Rodriguez as the third member of Arizona's 2017 class.

MORE: Read what Johnson told Rivals.com national analyst Adam Gorney about his decision Tuesday night on our premium message boards.

DISCUSS: Greg Johnson's commitment to Arizona on our premium message boards.