Our TLP 1st and 10 Q&A series continues as we are joined by former Virginia Tech DB great and the head coach of the Highland Springs HS powerhouse Loren Johnson.
Johnson played a big role in the mid-1990s rise of Virginia Tech football as an important of the secondary that helped the Hokies reach new heights. Since then, Johnson has jumped into the coaching world at the high school level and become one of the best high school head coaches in the 21st Century in Virginia turning Richmond's Highland Springs HS into a powerhouse.
He's also coached and developed tons of Power 5 and future NFL football players including guys like Mekhi Becton, K'Von Wallace, Greg Dortch and more. Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry has mentioned that there are schools in Virginia where he wants to take a recruit out of every year with Highland Springs seemingly at the top of the list. In 3 classes (with the 2024 not yet signed), VT has done just that signing or landing commits from 4 recruits in those 3 cycles to date including Loren's son Braylon Johnson (with Loren discussing his emotions when he sees Braylon take the field in Orange and Maroon later in this Q&A).
So with all that said, here's our Q&A with former standout Virginia Tech DB Loren Johnson.
1. What led you to originally choosing to play football at Virginia Tech?
"This is a loaded question. But ultimately, it was the players that I connected with on my visit with in addition to the opportunity to play early, and Virginia Tech was the one team that was close to beating the University of Miami. Todd Grantham did a great job recruiting me and Billy Hite did a great job sealing the deal when they came by my school late in the recruiting process."
