By Hale McGranahan.

After going a few months without hearing from Clemson, Columbia athlete Denzel Johnson has made a return to the Tigers’ recruiting radar.

A senior at A.C. Flora High School, Johnson picked up an offer from Clemson during his junior year, but interest eventually fell off.

Defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who recruits the Columbia area, reached out first. Dabo Swinney was in contact a week later. About a week after the phone call with Swinney, defensive backs coach Mike Reed stopped by the school on he first day of the evaluation period. Johnson, who suffered a concussion a few days earlier against South Pointe, was out of school as he continued to recover.

TheClemsonInsider recently caught up with Johnson for the latest on his recruitment.

“Swinney, he was telling me how good of a football player I am and he wanted me to go on an official visit in January,” Johnson said. “Brent Venables was just talking to me regularly, just seeing how I was doing.”

South Carolina, Liberty, Towson, Georgia Southern, Old Dominion and Elon are also in the mix. Towson has already hosted him for an official visit. Georgia Southern will have him down in January.

The contact with South Carolina is “pretty consistent.”

“Coach Steve Spurrier Jr., the receivers coach, I went to a game when they played South Alabama and we were talking,” Johnson said.

Johnson was scheduled to visit Clemson for the South Carolina game, but the plans were scratched because of the concussion.

Swinney and Spurrier Jr. have told Johnson they’re not sure which position he would profile at best. Towson and Georgia Southern like Johnson was a wide receiver. Liberty sees him as a cornerback.

As a senior, Johnson had 61 tackles, two interceptions and eight pass breakups. On offense, he had over 800 yards receiving with 10 touchdowns.