By Robert Wilson
Germantown High has had its share of outstanding athletes in its 14-year school history like high school All-Americans – running back Branson Robinson, now playing football for two-time national champion Georgia, and guard Madison Booker, a Big 12 Conference Player of the Year for Texas women’s basketball this past season.
Talented Mikey Johnson, who transferred to Germantown from Vicksburg High this spring, could be one of the best multi-sport athletes in the history of the school.
Johnson – a 6-foot-1, 174-pound rising junior whose father Trey Johnson played pro basketball and was also selected in the Major League Baseball draft out of high school – is a standout in football and basketball.
Johnson transferred after spring break to get a jump on next year and get used to the school, his father said.
Trey and Johnson’s mother, who lives in the Vicksburg district, had been talking about Mikey making the move for a while. They finally decided to make it during spring break.
“We thought it was a good time to do it,” said Trey Johnson, who is an assistant men’s basketball coach at Jackson State. “He was able to go through spring football practice and also practice basketball during fourth block. Also, he will get to start fresh when school starts back in the fall.”
Mikey Johnson comes from an athletic family. His grandfather, Clint Johnson, played pro baseball for several years (making to the Class AAA in the Boston Red Sox organization), coached baseball for many years at Lanier High and was the athletic director at Jackson Public Schools for several years before retiring three years ago. Mikey’s grandmother, Phyllis Johnson, played basketball at Mississippi University for Women.
Mikey’s father, Trey Johnson, was a star basketball and baseball player at Murrah High and was drafted out of high school by the Kansas City Royals. He went on play both sports at Alcorn State and then Jackson State. Trey was named the SWAC Player of Year in basketball and finished second in the nation in scoring as a senior. He played on several NBA summer league teams and had several 10-day contracts with the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors and played pro basketball overseas for several years. Mikey’s uncle, Will Johnson, was a star baseball player at Murrah and Jackson State. Will’s daughter and Mike’s first cousin, Madison, is a sophomore on the Germantown girls basketball team.
Germantown football coach Russell Mitchell is glad Johnson is on the Madison County school campus.
“We are excited to have Mike on board as a Maverick,” Mitchell said. “He comes from a great family. Mike’s dad and grandfather were tremendous athletes and competitors. He’s a high character kid with a lot of natural ability. Mike’s speed and ball skills are exceptional. From what I understand, he’s a standout on the hardwood as well.”
Mikey Johnson started at safety and had a team-high four interceptions and helped Vicksburg to a 7-4 record last season as a sophomore. He also was the backup quarterback. Johnson picked up a blocked kick and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown against Warren Central last season. He injured his ankle in the last regular season game and missed the playoff game and the first several games of the basketball season.
In basketball, Johnson averaged 10.6 points and helped Vicksburg to a 22-8 record and the MHSAA Class 6A quarterfinals, losing to eventual champion Olive Branch.
He also played varsity football and basketball as a freshman. Johnson was a backup quarterback and played safety in long down situations. He averaged 8 points in basketball.
Both Vicksburg football coach Chris Caley and boys basketball coach Kelvin Carter said great things about Johnson.
“Mikey is going to do great wherever he is because he has great parents and family,” Caley said. “He works hard on his game. Mikey’s talented and super coachable. I love Mikey and he will be great.”
“Mikey is a great kid, very versatile basketball player,” Carter said. “He has a bright future ahead of him.”
Mitchell was pleased with Johnson during spring practice.
“Mike has worked primarily at cornerback this spring, but we look for him to be a threat with the ball in his hands next fall,” said Mitchell, who begins his third season as Germantown’s head coach. He was the offensive coordinator on three state championship teams at Picayune in 2011 and 2013 and Oak Grove in 2020. “He’s a natural athlete and has the self-confidence we need our team to embody.”
Germantown opens the season against Warren Central Aug. 13 at Germantown. The Mavericks finished 5-6 overall and 2-2 in MHSAA Class 7A, Region 2 play last season. Germantown returns 10 starters from last season. The Mavericks haven’t had a winning season since 2019.
Rising senior running back Ny Johnson, who had 1,072 rushing and receiving yards and 16 touchdowns last season, rising senior wide receiver Trae Stevenson, who set single season school records with 49 receptions for 869 yards and eight TDs, and rising senior tackle Ryan White Jr. are the top offensive returnees. Also, Madison St. Joseph’s starting quarterback last season, King White, has transferred to Germantown. The rising junior completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,829 and 21 TDs and only seven interceptions last year as a sophomore at St. Joe.
The top returnees on defense are two rising seniors, cornerback Tiger Esco and inside linebacker Banks Polk, and rising junior nose guard Dillion Travis.
Germantown coach Chris Love has been impressed with Johnson. Love begins his third season as Germantown’s head coach. He won a state championship at Velma Jackson in 2019.
“Mikey is a very respectful young man,” Love said. “He is a yes sir, no sir kid. He already knew a few of the guys on the team, which is making the transition easier for him. As a player, he brings a lot to the table. He can score the basketball and he is a pretty good play maker as well. I have told him to just come in and play his game and don’t be tentative. It he puts it all together he has the ability to be one of the best guards in the state.”
Johnson joins one of the top high school basketball players in the country – 6-10 rising junior Sam Funches – next season. Funches is rated as the No. 1 center and No. 8 player in the country in the Class of 2026 by 247 Sports. He has offers from Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley, Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Gonzaga, Florida State, Michigan, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Wichita State and Creighton. Funches’ father, Sam, was an All-State player at Murrah High, was rated one of the top 10 power forwards in the country and played at Connecticut and North Texas.
In addition to Funches, Germantown has one other returning starter, 6-4 rising junior guard Devin Moore. The Mavericks finished 14-17 and made it to the Boys State Tournament and lost in the Class 7A state semifinals to eventual champion Meridian last season. The boys basketball team has never had a winning season since the school opened 14 years ago.
Johnson also has potential to be an outstanding baseball player like his father, uncle, and grandfather, but hasn’t played since he was a pitcher and third baseman on the varsity for Vicksburg as an eighth grader.
Johnson is playing basketball this summer on the NBA OSAG AAU team, led by Marc Rowe, whose son Dylan Rowe is one of the top guards in the state and a rising senior at Madison Central.
There wasn’t a player to be on two of the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson teams (football, boys basketball and baseball) this past school year. Jackson Prep’s Konnor Griffin – this year’s National Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year – was one of three players to make two All-Metro teams two years ago. He made the baseball and boys basketball teams. Griffin didn’t play basketball this year. It’s a rare double to make two of those three teams, but Mikey Johnson has the talent to make two All-Metro teams in the future.
