Harrisburg wrestling coach Domineak Commodore saw more than a little of himself in Devan Johnson and his progression through the Cougars program.
Commodore viewed Johnson’s athleticism as a perfect fit for wrestling and tried to help him see it for himself, which wasn’t always an easy sell. Johnson started wrestling to mixed results as a freshman, but he began to make the connection between the effort he put into the sport and what he got out of it.
Johnson dedicated himself as a junior through more intense offseason training and year-round competition, which gave him a better grasp on the fundamentals that could make his God-given abilities pop.
Those improvements came to life with a 9-0 regular-season record as a senior, but Johnson didn’t make it out out of a tough sectional bracket as an undersized 145-pounder. He did show enough for Commodore to recognize the world of untapped potential that quickly became apparent to Chris Williamson, who wrestled for Commodore at Messiah College and recently took over a brand-new program at Cornerstone University in Michigan.
“I told him, ‘Devan, you’re super athletic. If you stick with this, we can definitely get you to college,’” Commodore said. “I definitely thought he could do it, and he did it.”
Johnson committed to Cornerstone following a spring campus visit and officially kicked off his collegiate career last month.
Johnson’s path to this point sounds quite a bit like Commodore’s as a former Cougar who hadn’t yet scratched the surface of his own ability when he graduated in 2006. The light bulb came on for him during the time he spent at Messiah College, with a great big assist from teammates and his coach, Bryan Brunk.
Commodore’s life changed as he committed to wrestling and listened to the teammates and coaches who mentored him.
As much as anything else, Commodore has tried to take the template that worked for him and apply it to as many young wrestlers as he can. Johnson is one who eventually got the message and used wrestling to take control of his own future.
“I feel like wrestling changed my life,” Johnson said. “It got me through a lot. I had been going through a lot in my high school years, at home, and dealing with myself mentally. Whenever I felt alone or had nowhere to go, whatever I was thinking about, wrestling made me happy and put me in the right mindset. It woke me up. I appreciated that and never gave up on it.”
The same man who was there to show Johnson what wrestling could do for him stuck around to see it through. Commodore’s previous connection with Williams, who first started recruiting Johnson as an assistant at Liberty University, paid off, but the sales pitch only worked because Williamson saw the same things on film.
The athleticism was apparent and showed a kid who Commodore and Williams both believed could develop Into an NAIA All-American.
“Devan can move,” Williamson said. “He’s unbelievably strong. He’s super quick. He has a natural feel for wrestling. He knows where his body is supposed to be. Because he is still green, he’s not always able to do that in matches, but you can tell it’s there. You can watch him throw guys that he shouldn’t be able to throw.”
Johnson looked primed to join Williamson at Liberty, but then changed gears when Williamson took the job at Cornerstone. Williamson said he assumed the move to Michigan and away from an established major university wasn’t going to work for Johnson, but he was glad to be wrong.
A fresh start and the ability to leave his mark on a new program turned out to be huge selling points for Johnson. They were big enough for him and Commodore to fly out to Grand Rapids after his senior season ended to try and see first-hand what life would be like at Cornerstone. Turns out, the campus scenery, small classes and chance to build a legacy were high on Johnson’s list.
“It’s a really good area and a really good city,” Johnson said. “Grand Rapids is beautiful. And with it being a first-year program, it’s an even fresher start for me.”
Now, Johnson’s future will be intertwined with a new head coach who sees Johnson as instrumental for the build ahead. Williamson said Cornerstone will wrestle a full schedule in Year 1 with nine wrestlers spanning nine weight classes currently on the roster.
Johnson will be a big part of that effort as a tone-setter and a kid who got a chance to wrestle some of the best competition that Pennsylvania had to offer. The plan is to wrestle 141 pounds and continue down the wrestling-obsessed road that got him out of Harrisburg toward a bright future.
“Cornerstone gave him an opportunity to be big man on campus,” Williamson said. “We’re starting a new program where he gets to be a leader, really whether he likes it or not. But he’s a great, great kid to have around your team and program. We’re pumped to have him here, for sure.”
Johnson had also considered the military route with his post-high school plans, so leadership should come naturally. He’ll get a chance to grow into that role quickly with hopes of studying hard and graduating with a shot to fulfill a dream to coach.
The same way Commodore was inspired by Brunk, Johnson was inspired by Commodore to try and make a difference through wrestling.
“Coach Dom, he never gave up on me,” Johnson said. “He helped me develop into the man I am today because he said he saw himself in me. He gave me a lot of connections, took me to big tournaments, and pushed my limits a lot. He didn’t allow me to feel sorry for myself.
“I want to study sports management and get into coaching or be an athletic director. I love coaching. I see how crazy coaching can get, and I feel like this is where I belong, just like how my coach helped me. He inspired me to do it.”
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