Michigan running back to join track team

Drake Johnson is no stranger to overcoming hurdles. The Michigan running back returned from two anterior cruciate ligament tears and earned a spot in the offensive rotation this season.

But he’ll take on a different kind of hurdle this spring. It’s actually one he’s quite familiar with.

Johnson will join the Michigan track and field team as a hurdles specialist with immediate eligibility to compete. The three-time high school All-American hurdler will keep his scholarship on the football team while he begins his collegiate track career.

“Drake was an outstanding hurdler in high school, and we are excited to welcome him to the team,” Michigan men’s track and field coach Jerry Clayton said in a release. “We feel he can be a great addition, and we are thankful that Coach Harbaugh and his staff are going to let him come out and be part of our program.”

As an upperclassman at Pioneer High School, Johnson was ranked No. 1 in Michigan in 55-meter hurdles, 60-meter hurdles and 110-meter hurdles, including top-10 national times in the latter two events, peaking with a No. 9 ranking at 110 meters in 2011.

Assistant track coach Steven Rajewsky said he thinks Johnson can compete immediately.

“It’s a great opportunity to have an athlete of Drake’s caliber, who was a legitimate dual-athlete coming out of high school,” Rajewsky said in a release. “He’s had a great career thus far with the football program, and I think it’s awesome that football is giving him the opportunity to explore his talents.

“We are looking forward to working with the football staff with the knowledge that they are coming up on spring ball and coming off a fantastic season with a lot of energy surrounding the program.”

Johnson, who ran for 271 yards and four touchdowns, will return for a Michigan team that could be ranked in the top 10 to start the season.

He’ll compete in a crowded backfield alongside De’Veon Smith, Ty Isaac, Derrick Green and the nation’s top running back recruit, Kareem Walker.