John Hurst was born and raised in Milton Georgia where he attended nearby Cambridge High School. He earned All-North Fulton honors as a senior after hauling in 63 passes for 834 yards and six touchdowns.
Deciding to stay close to his family, Hurst committed to play at Division II West Georgia where he sat out his first year with a redshirt. Over the next four seasons, he caught just 77 passes for 1,242 yards and 12 touchdowns through 35 career games. He earned All-Gulf South Conference honors after recording 40 catches for 654 yards and seven scores as a senior.