Montrell Johnson was fortunate to have plenty of people in his corner. Johnson, a Highlands graduate, struggled with homelessness during his time in high school. 

After he committed to Saint Francis (Pa.) to play football during his senior year, the school announced it was dropping from the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level to Division III. Johnson, who played wide receiver for the Golden Rams and graduated in 2025, chose to go a different way and went back to work looking for a new school. Johnson spent time living with a high school teammate and his family while he attended community college.

Johnson announced this week he will play at Slippery Rock University. The Rock had a rare down season last year, finishing 6-5. SRU reached the Division II national semifinals in 2024 and made the playoffs every season from 2018 to 2024, with the lone exception coming during the COVID-19 year in 2020 where no season was played.

"I've chosen SRU because of their interest level in me as a student athlete," Johnson said. "Despite the year I've had with finding a home and not playing a snap of football since our loss to Imani Christian in the second round of the playoffs (in 2024) their coaching staff still has faith me in being a game-changing football player."

Johnson said that he lived with four or five different families while he was in high school. Over the past year, Johnson stayed sharp by working out with Tre Tipton. Tipton, a former Apollo-Ridge standout, played collegiately at Pitt. In the classroom, Johnson maintained a 3.0 GPA while attending community college.

"I'm most excited for getting the opportunity to play football again," Johnson said. "Most of us athletes don't realize that after high school another chance to put on the pads isn't guaranteed. You have to work for every single second of it. If you aren't willing to work for it, there are thousands of other athletes to replace you. You'll be sitting on the couch, regretting not putting in the work to earn a roster spot somewhere."

Josh Rizzo the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be sent to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

The list for the watchlist for the Shrine Bowl is an expansive one. But it is still a rare honor for players below the Division I level. Slippery Rock University offensive lineman Joe Cooper was one of 10 Division II players of the 1,000 players named to the list.

A number of players from Pitt and Penn State were also selected for the watch list.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected]

Rashan Murray built his reputation as a standout defensive back with California (Pa.) University. The Obama Academy graduate recently announced that he will test himself at the next level after accepting an offer from Pitt. Murray was recently named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 Squad List.

Murray helped the Vulcans win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division title this season. Cal reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs before losing to Slippery Rock University. Murray, a junior, was named second-team All-American by the Associated Press and Don Hansen Football Committee.

Murray was second in Division II with 18 passes defended and grabbed a team-high four interceptions. Murray also recorded 39 tackles and forced a fumble.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be sent to [email protected] or to @J_oshrizzo on Twitter.