The 6-6 SoCal Academy wing plans to make his college announcement on Thursday at about 5 p.m. (Central) after visiting the Gophers last weekend.
Johnson traveled to Los Angeles earlier in the week to watch Ross’ workouts. He’s a four-star prospect by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. A northern Virginia native, he transferred to Southern California after playing at Long Island Lutheran in New York last season.
“He’s really grown into a true two-way player,” SoCal Academy coach Julius Von Hanzlik said. “He can play any perimeter position at the high school level. He’s physical, athletic and tough enough to guard almost every position on the floor. He’s been a leader for us.”
Ross’ older brother, Jayden, was a four-star recruit and top 100 forward in the 2023 class entering his sophomore season at defending NCAA champion UConn. Their playing styles are a bit different, the younger Ross said.
“The [Gophers] coaches like that I’m a bigger guard who can dribble, pass and defend,” he said. “I can be an energy guy and be a dog out there on the court.”
Johnson and the Gophers recently sent freshman guard Cam Christie to the NBA to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Max, who went to Michigan State. Ross said the Gophers compared his family dynamic with how they helped Christie develop and step out of his brother’s shadow.
“That’s one of the first things they said to my parents and I,” Ross said. “How Cam came in and did what he had to do, to be a one-and-done. I definitely heard that story. They said we were in a similar situation.”
