There was a moment when Cooper Johnson thought he should take the offer.

On the phone with a Major League Baseball team representative, and with only minutes to decide his next few years, the voice in his head said to grab the money and bypass Ole Miss and college. The representative told Johnson he would be drafted in a certain spot if he would agree to the financial offer.

The amount was less than the number the catcher and his family decided on prior to the MLB First-Year Player Draft, but it was close and this was real money — not the Monopoly way some players decide on their signing bonus requirements prior to the Draft.

“I really sat there and thought to myself to take it the one time the offer was close,” said Johnson, who is the No. 39 player nationally for the 2016 class, per Perfect Game. “You don’t have long to decide. For a split second I told myself to do that. When it really sinks in how much money that is it hits you in the face. The money represented an investment in me as a player. It wasn’t about physical money as much as the idea behind it. I knew that amount meant the franchise was serious about me and my development.”

And then the Mundelein (Carmel Catholic), Illinois native focused and stuck to the plan. He told the team it was below his requirement and not to draft him in that spot. After the third round of the Draft was complete on June 10, Johnson shut down the calls.

A team wasn’t going to be able to meet his number past that point. At least his next three seasons will be at Ole Miss. The Reds eventually plucked him in the 28th round, but his financial requirement made it a moot point.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t stressful,” Johnson said about those couple days. "Pro ball may be appealing but if you don’t get that amount you’re going to college and play for Mike Bianco for three years and develop and hopefully win a College World Series. I’m going to get at-bats and get out of this cold weather and see more live pitching.”

Johnson was also appreciative of Ole Miss’ approach leading up to his decision. Some schools manipulate scholarship offer percentages and try to cloudy thoughts, but the Rebels left him alone to make the best personal decision.

The Draft went perfect for Ole Miss, as its elite signing class should make it campus completely intact. July 15 is the official MLB signing deadline. Johnson and his fellow signees report to Oxford the first couple days of July and start summer school class on July 5. Offseason strength and conditioning will start immediately with Ole Miss’ Ben Fleming, and the players can get acclimated before the fall semester.

Johnson has been to Oxford only three times, so he’s anxious to get settled in. His roommate will be Ryan Rolison, Tennessee’s Mr. Baseball and a top 50 prospect who also turned down major offers early in the Draft. The two played on Team USA together and already have a friendship.

“We gravitated toward each other and watched TV and hung out in our hotel rooms,” Johnson said. “We became really close. Part of it at beginning was we are going to the same school so we might as well get to know each other, but we became great friends, and we’re excited for this step.”

Johnson also participated in the Under Armour All-American Game at Wrigley Field with Ole Miss signees Grae Kessinger and Thomas Dillard and Ole Miss football signee AJ Brown, who would like to also play baseball with the Rebels. Following the 10th round of the MLB Draft, all the signees began tweeting their intentions to show up at school. It was part promotion and part solidarity as the class had become close and was making their intentions public.

“When we went down on our official visit we all really locked in together and some of us knew each other from different events,” Johnson said. We were really social and connected. No one was having problems with anyone. Our coaches told us we were a special class, and I’m not sure we knew just how special it was at the time. We want to win. We want to be close to the guys on the field with us.”

Johnson knew from the beginning he wanted the Southeastern Conference for his college commitment, but he didn't immediately know it would be Ole Miss.

In a way, it started with Ole Miss assistant Mike Clement before the coach wore red and blue. Clement, then at Kansas State, was one of the first coaches to follow Johnson and form a relationship. The week he was hired with Ole Miss he talked to Johnson, who thought Clement was still recruiting for the Wildcats. When he said he's now coaching in the SEC, Johnson's interest piqued.

"Coach Clement had been with me since the beginning, the dog days before I was recruited at a high level," Johnson said. "I owed it to him to check it out, and then everything just clicked when I showed up down there."

The day after Clement and Johnson talked he played in a tournament in Georgia and picked up more than 20 offers in a 24-hour period. The recruitment was officially at a high level, but the Rebels had a lead, and the visit locked it up. During that trip he spent time with Kessinger and Dillard.

"I narrowed it to the SEC once the offers came in," Johnson said. "I took visits, and I got the best overall feeling from Ole Miss. It was the only place I was comfortable at. The coaches are so nice and caring. They gave me the feeling they really need me. They treat the players well and know how to win. I love coach Bianco, and coach (Carl) Lafferty and I have formed a nice relationship. I get the question of why a lot, but it wasn't a hard decision."

Numerous scouts called Johnson the best defensive catcher in the recent Draft, regardless of classification. He's skilled and very advanced receiving and throwing, giving the Rebels a likely weapon to control the run game and handle the pitching staff. His goal during his Ole Miss career is to develop offensively.

"I want to become a two-way star behind the plate," Johnson said. "I have one side down, but I know I can always get better. I’m very advanced defensively and I don’t want to be just a defensive catcher. I want to be (Joe) Mauer or (Buster) Posey. I hope to get some at-bats and learn to hit higher caliber pitching. I haven’t seen much of it from up here. I see a lot of bad high school pitching. I think just seeing good pitching consistently will help me immensely."

Johnson has stayed focused on a plan from the beginning. He handled his recruitment in an organized fashion and then resisted temptation and stayed with the big picture this summer when a signing bonus became a real thing. Now it's about college, a new environment and getting better individually while helping Ole Miss.

"All my goals are in front of me," Johnson said. "And Swayze Field is a pretty good place to be."