Xavier Elijah Johnson is a basketball player from Woodbridge, VA who transferred to Indiana University from University of Pittsburgh for the 2021-2022 season. Johnson was considered one of the top-10 transfers during the 2021 offseason.
- Name: Xavier Elijah Johnson
- Position: Combo Guard
- Recruiting Class: 2018
- Age: 24 years old
- Birthday: October 14, 1999
- Hometown: Woodbridge, VA
- High School: Bishop O’Connell
- AAU Team: Team Takeover (D.C)
- Height: 6’3″ (190.5 cm)
- Weight: 200 lbs (91 kg)
- Jersey Number: #0
Xavier Johnson’s Recruiting Profile
- ⭐⭐⭐ 3-Star Combo Guard
- Teams: Bishop O’Connell (VA), Team Takeover (D.C.)
- Composite Rating: 0.8849
- Composite Ranking: 232nd Overall, 22nd Combo Guard, 9th in the State of Virginia
- Committed: September 25, 2017 (Nebraska), April 28, 2018 (Pittsburgh), April 7, 2021 (Indiana)
Xavier Johnson’s High School Career and Recruiting
Johnson was a standout player who played for Bishop O’Connell High School. Under coach Joe Wooten, he finished his high school career with 1,034 points and led them to a 30-9 record and a No. 5 ranking his senior year where he averaged 18.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. He had four double-doubles throughout his career. He was recognized as a nominee for the 2018 McDonald’s All-American award. He received Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors and was named first team All-Metro by Washington Post.
He played for Team Takeover [D.C] on the AAU circuit where he averaged 8.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.5 rebounds with 1.2 steals per game.
He was highly recruited out of high school where he was ranked the ninth best player in the state per 247Sports. He received offers from schools such as Nebraska, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, UMass, Providence, and Washington. Ultimately, he chose to commit to Nebraska on September 25, 2017. Indiana did not extend an offer to Xavier when he was in high school, but his cousin, Larry Gibson, was a player at Indiana from 1969-1971 while another cousin, Tracey Gibson, played basketball at Valparaiso.
Xavier Johnson’s Career at Pittsburgh
Despite committing to Nebraska in September 2017 after being recruited by assistant coach Kenya Hunter (who left and later joined the Hoosiers in 2020), he reopened his recruitment after Kenya left. He switched his commitment to University of Pittsburgh in April 2018 and set scoring records for the Panthers in his first season (15.5 ppg) and numerous other scoring records.
As a sophomore he was the first player to accumulate over 750 points, 300 assists for University of Pittsburgh. In 2020-2021, he led Pittsburgh in assists with 5.7 and steals per game with 1.3. He was the third leading scoring with 14.2 points per game.
In February 2021, Xavier announced he would enter the transfer portal where he got immediate interest from major programs including Indiana, Baylor, Houston, and St. Joseph’s. His prior relationship with Kenya Hunter proved valuable and he opted to join the Hoosiers on April 7, 2021.
Xavier Johnson’s Career at Indiana University
Xavier Johnson committed to the Hoosiers on April 7th, 2021. He was slated to have two years of eligibility remaining due to the extra year of eligibility offered to college athletes. He chose Indiana over Houston, Baylor, and St. Joseph’s.
He joined the Hoosiers for their first season under new head coach Mike Woodson. His first season with the Hoosiers was sporadic at first with inconsistent play, but as the season progressed he developed into the leader of the offense. One of his best performances on the year was against Maryland in February 2022 when he scored 24 on perfect shooting from the field and made 7 of 8 from the free throw line. Xavier scored over 10 points in each of the final 10 games of the season while averaging 6.6 assists. He made it clear that he will stay with the Hoosiers for his final season of eligibility.