Q&A: Jonathan Brown discusses his path to 2026 Michigan football commitment
He was on running backs coach Tony Alford's radar, but not even the recruiting sites. Yet, 2026 Columbus (Ohio) St. Francis de Sales three-star tailback Jonathan Brown went from being a virtual unknown to a Wolverines commit just about overnight.
It started at the SoundMind SoundBody college showcase camp on June 1, when Brown got to show off his skills in front of Alford. Later that week, he camped in Ann Arbor. He left with an offer, and it didn't take too long for him to commit to the maize and blue.
Now he's been rated by the recruiting services and is the No. 561 player in the country, regardless of position, according to the 247Sports Composite. On Tuesday, Brown spoke with WolverinesWire about his recruitment, how he'll fit into Michigan football, his own expectations within the program, as well as the reaction from his high school teammate RJ Day, and his father, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day.
Here is everything he had to say.
First off, just tell me kind of how things went, right, because like it's kind of started at SMSB and then went into camp, if I'm not mistaken. So what was that process like for you?
I feel like everything went pretty quick because, yeah, of course, I went to the SoundMind SoundBody camp and Coach Alford saw me and prior to that. I met Coach Alford when I was a freshman and I went up to OSU to do a little workout with RJ Day, Ryan Day's kid, and he remembered me. And he said, I got bigger, stronger, and I look better.
So we exchanged numbers and he invited me back to the camp, about, I'll say, two or three weeks later. So me and my dad made the decision to go to that camp. It was, I think it was on a Wednesday and he called me and was like, do you want to come to the camp? And I was like, yes, sir. And so the next day grabbed my dad, and we went up to Michigan, and that's how it all started.
Were you kind of surprised? I know you had the prior relationships there, but was it surprising to you that things happened kind of as fast as they did?
Yes, sir. Everything went really quick, but I got the ability to showcase what I could do because I feel like taking the opportunity to show kids that you can get offers from camps. It doesn't matter, it's never too late. I feel like my story is kind of similar to Justin Jefferson's where he went to an LSU camp. No one really knew who he was, and he showed out and showed what he could do and got the offer. And I feel like that's the same route that I took because my film didn't really show the type of player that I am now.
So I feel like I've put on 30 pounds since the season. So when coaches see that, they're like, oh, wow, this kid is different than what we saw on film. So I feel like that is a good representation of hard work and dedication.
Now, why Michigan? Is it just because they showed essentially being able to recognize that in you, or was there something else about it? Was it the relationship with Alford? What made you decide to pull the trigger for Michigan at the time that you did?
I just feel like Coach Moore had his plan and his goal for his team, and his message is something that I really like. He really has something going at Michigan. And then Coach Alford, he's straight to the point, no bluff, and he's a good coach. He's produced many great backs in the league -- J.K. Dobbins, soon-to-be TreVeyon Henderson, Ezekiel Elliott. So he's produced a bunch of great backs. So I feel like my development can really do something under him.
How did Sherrone Moore and Tony Alford, how do they see you fitting into the team? How are they talking to you about how they see you, your role as a running back in this offense?
They see me as a guy that could come in and by my sophomore year under the program, really bursting onto the scene -- because there's some things that I still have to work on and I'm getting better at right now. But I feel like they said, because I feel like I'm a work in progress, so I'm not perfect by any means. So I feel like a year in the program, learning everything -- and I'm going to graduate early so I can get in early with the guys, lift, and get to know the program a little bit better. So I feel like, yeah, by my sophomore year, really burst onto the scene.
They see you more as like kind of a speed back? Looking to piggyback off of that, what kind of back do you want to be down the line?
All-purpose back. I feel like I could, with the weight that I put on, I'm definitely going to be more aggressive. If I'm more aggressive, you'll see me running over guys, and I can catch outof the backfield, which is a really good trait that I have. Not a lot of people knew because it wasn't on film, but you can see that I can catch out of the backfield, which is a good trait to have as a back, and working on pass blocking.
Did you get a lot of flak when you committed to Michigan, considering you're not just in Ohio, you're in Columbus?
Yes, sir. I feel like I got more good than bad because a lot of people supported the decision, because I still am a kid at the end of the day, so there's not much they can really do about it. And I feel like I've seen a little bit of hate, but it's been more love than hate.
You are teammates with RJ Day. He's your quarterback. What was his reaction?
Yes, sir. Me and RJ, we have a good connection, so it was nothing personal at all because he knows that football is a business at the end of the day. So it was nothing personal. We still love each other as teammates.
And with Coach Day -- me and Coach Day, our relationship is still the same. I saw him, I think, last week, and he congratulated me and everything and said how proud of me he was and that I'm going to do great things. And we've had talks in the past about my future, and that I could really be a great, great player in the future.
Was being someone from Columbus, was Ohio State the dream school, or did you have a dream school?
No, sir. No, I wouldn't say -- my dream school would be the school that I feel would fulfill all my needs.
Obviously, Michigan is really big on the academic side. Do you have an idea of what you want to study? Has that been a part of the process as well?
Yes, sir. I want to study business. I want to get into business analytics and stocks, and breaking down how much money a business is bringing in, the revenue, and all that. Revenue shares and the numbers of how business is working.
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