After Muschamp in-home, Brad Johnson decision may go down to the wire

Pendleton defensive end Brad Johnson has a decision to make.

Johnson met Wednesday at his home with South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp and outside linebackers coach Mike Peterson, and with Virginia Tech defensive line coach Charlie Wiles and his recruiter James Shibest.

It was the final in-person meeting for any coaches from the staffs with Johnson, and the hope was the sessions would lead to clarity and a decision. The result was just the opposite.

“He likes both schools so much and he’s going to try to make up his mind by the weekend, but it may go down to Signing Day,” said Pendleton coach Paul Sutherland who met with Johnson for an extended period Thursday morning. “Neither one of us ever dreamed or planned it would be this way.”

Muschamp and Peterson arrived in Pendleton in the late afternoon and first met with Johnson’s mother at her workplace before shifting things to the home and the sitdown with the players.

“It went great,” Sutherland said. “He said, ‘They answered everyone of my questions. They’ve recruited me so hard I couldn’t ask for any more.’ He really likes both places. I hate to say this, but it’s legitimately 50-50 and I know him better than anybody.”

Sutherland said Johnson is very close to his family and even they, his brothers and his mother don’t know what he’s planning to do.

“He’s got everything in front of him and it’s up to him,” Sutherland said. “I want to stress this is not anything for drama. He legitimately does not know where he’s going at this point.”

Johnson is set to sign with one of the schools at noon Wednesday.

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 11:06 PM with the headline "After Muschamp in-home, Brad Johnson decision may go down to the wire."