AMARE JOHNSON

ORLANDO, Fla. – There comes a time in everyone’s life where they have to make a decision that could impact their life forever. For Amare Johnson, that decision came during the summer after his sophomore year at Wheeling Park High School.

The two-sport standout – basketball and football – chose to move to Orlando with family members to continue his drive toward an NCAA Division I football scholarship at Bishop Moore High School, which is ranked No. 1 in Class 3A in Florida.

“That was really, really hard,” Johnson said of the decision via telephone earlier in the week. “It was hard to leave my family up here and my friends, but it paid off. I’d definitely do it again.”

With his athletic ability, hard work and determination, Johnson earned a dozen D-I scholarship offers before finally committing to Missouri State.

“They showed me the most love consistently after they offered me,” Johnson said. “I loved the coaches and I wanted to be a part of what they are building there. The town is small but has an exciting environment. There’s a lot of support there.”

Missouri State is located in Springfield, Mo. The Bears compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and are a member of Conference USA. The program is in the two-year transition up to FBS; it joined Conference USA in 2025 and will become a full FBS member in 2026. The school was known as Southwest Missouri State until 2005 when they changed the name to Missouri State.

Some of the other offers Johnson received came from Brown, Arkansas State, Dartmouth, Rhode Island, Old Dominion, Army, Navy, Rice, Marshall and Bryant University.

Johnson said he is glad the (recruiting) process is over.

“It was a lot,” he noted. “Letters and phone calls daily.”

So far this season, the 5-11, 190-pounder has run for 1,040 yards and 17 touchdowns in six games for the Hornets. Those gaudy touchdown numbers are first in Class 3A in Florida and second in the entire state. He has run for more than 100 yards in each of the six contests thus far.

Johnson has also caught eight passes for 128 yards and another six points.

As a junior, he rushed for 1,265 yards and 17 touchdowns on 194 carries.

His athletic ability, especially on the football field, has come natural as his father, Daryl “Boogie” Johnson was a standout for the Patriots and was awarded the Kennedy Award in 1991 as the best high school football player in the state of West Virginia. He was also the W.Va. Gatorade Player of the Year and started at Oklahoma State as a freshman before injuries took their toll. Amare’s older brother, Savion, committed to North Carolina A&T before transferring to West Liberty.

“My dad really helped me in the recruiting process. He would get my highlights ready and send them to different schools,” he added. “Both my mom, Natalie Spence, and my dad would pay for me to go to all of these camps and they would drive me there. I appreciate everything they have done, and continue to do for me.”

Johnson said he is going to major in kinesiology with plans of becoming a chiropractor.