Born in Monrovia, California, Johnson attended Damien High School in La Verne, where he was a two-sport star in football and track.

He was a high school teammate of Arena Football League star, Nick Davila.

Johnson scored the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime on a Statue of Liberty play to the left side.

[16] In November 2010, Johnson joined Kituku and Associates in Boise as a motivational speaker and personal coach.

Johnson speaks at schools, businesses, churches, and associations on turning dreams to reality, winning as a team, making the right choices, and overcoming challenges.

[17] Following the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, during an interview with Chris Myers, Johnson proposed to his girlfriend Chrissy Popadics, Boise State's head cheerleader, on Fox Sports' postgame coverage.

According to Johnson, he received about 30 threatening letters, which he handed over to the FBI, from people who objected to his nationally televised marriage proposal.

[20] Johnson crocheted during his spare time while at Boise State, giving beanies away to teammates after being prohibited from selling them by the NCAA.