Hotshot receiver catches on at Ivy League school

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This article was published 07/08/2024 (787 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ronan Johannson has the athletic ability to play NCAA Division I football and the brain power to attend an Ivy League school.

Beginning this fall, the 19-year-old West St. Paul product will do both.

The 6-2, 185-pound wide receiver will attend the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia after combining a breakout season on the field at Clarkson Football North of Mississauga, Ont., with a stellar 4.0 GPA in the classroom.

It’s the kind of opportunity he dreamed of when he first left home to pursue his love for the game.

After playing his Grade 9 season at Dakota Collegiate and sitting idle as the following season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, Johannson decided to get serious about advancing his career.

“When I first got there, it was definitely a challenge,” said Johannson, who toiled during his Grade 11 season on the Football North’s junior varsity squad. “It was just it was new for me because when I first got there I was 15. And moving away from home at 15 would be difficult for anybody.”

The transition away from the field was smoother, while he billetted with close family friends, than playing against the high level of competition at Football North, which attracts players from across the country and plays a full schedule against elite American high school competition.

“I would say from Day 1, I knew I belonged there,” said Johannson. “That was just the mindset that I had. That’s what kept me going and kept me motivated…

“I wasn’t immediately used in the offence. It took it took a while to kind of gain the coaches’ trust, get more confidence in myself because at an elite program like that, the whole team is filled with competitors.”

At Clarkson, Johannson made a lasting impression on varsity offensive coordinator Jamie Lalonde with his willingness to work to absorb what the coaching staff was teaching.

“It’s incredible how much better he got over the course of three years in the program,” said Lalonde, recently elevated to head coach following the departure of Larry Judanis. “I think a lot of the credit has to go to Jared Manchulenko, our junior varsity head coach and receivers coach, and also Edgar García, who’s now our offensive co-ordinator — he was our quarterback coach and passing game coordinator — for giving him confidence to do to do what he did.

“I think it’s so important because when you’ve got a guy with a great work ethic, all they need is confidence and they provided that to him.”

“It’s incredible how much better he got over the course of three years in the program.”–Jamie Lalonde

Yet after his Grade 12 season, Johannson still didn’t have the Division I offers he craved. And so he returned to high school for a post-graduate season. Despite missing five weeks due to injury, he caught 24 passes for 483 yards and six touchdowns in 2023.

“It was the best thing that I could have done for my career because I was never really the biggest or the strongest,” said Johannson. “So it was nice having that extra year to be in the weight room, do speed training, all that kind of stuff. My post grad year went really well.”

Johannson also helped to promote himself out by attending off-season prospects camps at various schools based in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New York.

“He’s a super long, rangy kid,” said Lalonde. “He can high-point the football. I love his ability to get in and out of cuts. He’s an experienced route runner and he’s a technician of his craft. He understands how to run routes versus coverage and he understands how to run routes versus different alignments.”

An offer from Penn head coach Ray Priore was too good to pass up and he signed with the Quakers in December 2023.

“If you look at him physically, it’s a good start there,” said Priore. “We like his frame, his height. He’s got great length and, in terms of the way he runs, he’s very smooth, athletic runner.”

At Penn, Johannson will be one of 28 freshmen, including three receivers, who report for the start of training camp on Aug. 19.

“I’d say my biggest asset is my route-running skills,” said Johannson. “I won’t be the fastest receiver on the field but I’d say my technique and my route running, for sure, are my biggest assets. And that’s because of my receiver coach at Football North, Jared Manchulenko, he taught me everything I know about route running.”

He hopes he can make an immediate impact on a receiving corps led by veteran standouts Jared Richardson and Joshua Casilli.

“It’s difficult because it is division one football,” said Johannson. “The dream for any freshman receivers to be in that starting lineup and I know that for some that seems lofty goal. But if you’re not aiming for like the highest level, why go in the first place?”

Penn recruits are expected to be adept at handling both the academic and athletic load.

“The young men are accepted because they are very good students,” said Priore. “So they come in with the accolades and the ability to do the work. The second part of it is these young men are very, very driven. They have had success because they have very good discipline, and having that discipline is so crucial because that discipline turns into having great time management and balancing your time between academics and football.”

Lalonde believes Johannson has CFL potential.

“I wouldn’t bet against him,” said Lalonde. “He’s got the length and Ronan is a technician. At the end of the day, receiving is about creating separation and Ronan can do that. I think he does have a chance.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca