Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson didn’t even bring a backpack on his flight. The 2023 quarterback prospect flew into Sky Harbor from Southern California early Wednesday morning, went through an ASU unofficial visit and then trekked back to the airport and flew home.
It was a quick turnaround but also a trip that made a strong impact on Tupou’ata-Johnson.
“It went great — talking to the coaches and finally getting to meet them,” he said. “Seeing the campus and visiting the facilities was great,”
Tupou’ata-Johnson is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound pro-style quarterback out of Sherman Oaks, Calif. who has already nabbed offers from ASU, BYU, San Jose State, Toledo, and Florida State – the only other school he has taken a visit to. That, though, will change as Tupou’ata-Johnson noted he has scheduled unofficial visits for June at Cal, Washington, and BYU.
Yet, following his Tempe visit, Tupou’ata-Johnson is high on the Sun Devils.
“They’re definitely up there for meeting the expectations I had for them, especially after the visit. Everything was great — I have nothing bad to say about it,” he said. “They’re like very updated, like modern. You can tell they’re trying to redo stuff to get recruits and stuff like that. That’s one thing that pops out to me.”
During his visit, Tupou’ata-Johnson toured the facilities, watched some of the Sun Devil players work out in the weight room while speaking with the strength staff, ate lunch with some coaches, took pictures in the ASU jerseys and spoke at length with his main recruiter: offensive coordinator Zak Hill.
Hill offered him back in August before the high schooler had even begun his sophomore season. Their connection has been great, Tupou’ata-Johnson, and can really only grow after an in-person meeting.
“I think he likes my body build and how powerful my arm is; and then that I’m very coachable and things like that,” Tupou’ata-Johnson said. “He kind of compares me to the quarterback they have now in Jayden Daniels – we’re both lengthy and pretty athletic.”
One of the main strengths Tupou’ata-Johnson pointed to in his own game was his arm strength, saying that he had hurled a 50-yard pass last season. But for the label of a pro-style quarterback, he noted that doesn’t encapsulate his full game.
“I sit in the pocket and throw, but if I need to run, I will,” he said. “This past season, I hurt my hamstring in the first game, so I wasn’t able to run as much as I do – which is why I think I’m listed as a pro-style.”
Only heading into his junior year, the conclusion of Tupou’ata-Johnson’s recruitment is still a long way out – and it’s already heating up a little bit. After attending the Florida State camp last week, the FSU and Toledo offers came. While he isn’t sure if he’ll be at any more camps this summer, more schools could jump in the next few months.
“That’s my plan is to have a breakout junior year, and hopefully, people see what I can do,” Tupou’ata-Johnson said. “And also throw for some coaches and then see how that goes.”
And as Tupou’ata-Johnson begins to take more and more visits, he seems to have a clear picture of what he’s looking for in a school.
“Mainly just a culture around the school and how I get along with the coaches — like that I bond with all the coaches, not even just the offensive coordinator,” he said. “And the players, like how well they treat other guys and how they’d take me in.”
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