Vernon Johnson (American football)

Vernon Johnson

Johnson (6) playing for A&M–Commerce in 2014.
No. 89
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1992-04-17) April 17, 1992 (age 32) San Diego, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	196[1] lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school:	Brewer (Fort Worth, Texas)
College:	Midwestern State Southwestern College Texas A&M–Commerce
Undrafted:	2015
Career history
Detroit Lions (2015)* Wiesbaden Phantoms (2016) Ottawa RedBlacks (2017)* BC Lions (2018)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
AFCA NCAA Division II All–American (2014)[2] LSC Wide Receiver of the Year (2013, 2014)
Stats at CFL.ca

Vernon Johnson (born April 17, 1992) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Midwestern State University, Southwestern College, and Texas A&M University–Commerce.

High school career

Johnson attended Brewer High School in Fort Worth. During his senior season in 2009, he had 76 receptions for 1,006 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also lettered in basketball as well as track & field.^[3]

College career

Johnson began his college career at Midwestern State University; he redshirted in 2010 and caught 6 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown as a reserve receiver in 2011.

In 2012, he transferred to Southwestern College, where he caught 49 passes for 1,082 yards and 15 touchdowns.^[4]

During his first season at Texas A&M University–Commerce in 2013, he set school records in receptions (70), receiving yards (1,350), and receiving touchdowns (13), although his touchdown reception record was broken by his teammate Ricky Collins during the next season. He also added 496 kick return yards and led the conference in all purpose yards per game with an average of 183.8. In addition, he won the Lone Star Conference (LSC) wide receiver of the year award.^[5]

Johnson (6) in action against Angelo State in 2014.

In 2014, Johnson totaled 77 receptions for 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns, thus breaking his reception record from the previous season; he also tallied 304 kick return yards. He helped lead a conference championship-winning A&M–Commerce team that led the nation in both average points per game (54.1) and average yards per game (535.4).^[6] The team also opened the season with a record-breaking performance against East Texas Baptist in which it scored 98 points, amassing 986 total yards of offense and 13 touchdowns.^[7] This performance helped Johnson earn his second LSC wide receiver of the year honor,^[8] while also being named an AFCA first team All-American.^[6]

After his college career Johnson was selected to compete in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.^[9] Draft analysts projected him to be drafted in the 5th or 6th round of the NFL Draft, and he drew comparisons to Bruce Ellington. NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein described Johnson as a "creative, instinctive receiver who has the feet and hips to make defenders miss and the acceleration to hit the big play either after the catch or down the field."^[10]

NCAA stats

			Receiving					Kick Returns
Year	Team	G	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
2010	Midwestern State	Redshirt
2011	Midwestern State	8	6	146	24.3	99	1	0	0	0	0	0
2012	Southwestern College	Played at Junior College
2013	Texas A&M–Commerce	11	70	1350	19.3	88	13	15	496	33.1	81	0
2014	Texas A&M–Commerce	12	77	1258	16.3	71	12	14	304	21.7	64	0
Totals:		31	153	2754	18.0	99	26	29	800	27.6	81	0

^[11][12]

Professional career

Detroit Lions

After going undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft, Johnson signed with the Detroit Lions as a free agent.^[13] He was cut from the team on August 31, 2015.^[14]

Wiesbaden Phantoms

Johnson played with the Wiesbaden Phantoms of the German Football League during 2016 season.

Ottawa Redblacks

Johnson signed with the Ottawa Redblacks on June 7, 2017.^[15] He was cut from the team on June 18, 2017.^[16]

BC Lions

Johnson signed with the BC Lions on May 9, 2018.^[17]

References

1. Vernon Johnson NFL profile
2. Johnson named All–American
3. "Vernon Johnson – 2011 Football". Retrieved February 2, 2016.
4. "CCCAA". www.cccaastats.org. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
5. "15 LIONS GARNER LONE STAR CONFERENCE POSTSEASON FOOTBALL HONORS". Texas A&M-Commerce. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
6. "A&M-Commerce's Johnson Named AFCA All-American". Texas A&M-Commerce. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
7. "Lions Open Season in Record-Breaking Fashion Thursday". Texas A&M-Commerce. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
8. "Six Lions Earn First Team, Twenty-Six Total Honored by the Lone Star Conference". Texas A&M-Commerce. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
9. "Johnson, Bergeron Will Represent A&M-Commerce in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl". Texas A&M-Commerce. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
10. "2015 NFL Draft Profile: Vernon Johnson". NFL.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
11. "Vernon Johnson – 2014 Football". Retrieved February 2, 2016.
12. "Vernon Johnson – 2011 Football". Retrieved February 2, 2016.
13. "Detroit Lions: UDFA Spotlight (Wide Receiver, Vernon Johnson)". 247Sports. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
14. "NFL roster cuts 2015: Lions cut nine players, one to IR". Pride Of Detroit. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
15. "Vernon Johnson - Ottawa REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
16. MEDIA, SUN. "Released Redblacks feel the real sting | Football | Sports | Ottawa Sun". m.ottawasun.com. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
17. "Lions Add Kevin Elliott, Four Other International Receivers - BC Lions". BC Lions. May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.

External links

• Media related to Vernon Johnson at Wikimedia Commons