Dennis . Due to low enrollment, Johnson dressed for the varsity team along with his older brother, Derrick, a third-grader. Johnson, who stood 5-foot-7 and nearly 170 pounds in the second grade mostly was used as a practice dummy, but in some games saw playing time in the final minutes. Johnson would not play varsity football again until the seventh grade due to a rule change by Kentucky’s athletic association. Johnson finished a seven-year high school career as Kentucky’s Mr. Football in 1997.
Johnson decided to stay home and play football, ch0osing Kentucky over elite programs that included Notre Dame, Florida, Miami (Fla.