Johnson was originally recruited to Northwestern in 2021 as a mid 3-star (.8674) in the 24/7 composite. He redshirted that season with no significant play.
In 2022, the Wildcats played one cornerback on virtually every meaningful rep, Cameron Mitchell, but the other spot saw a lot of back and forth. AJ Hampton was the starter in the first game but he got hurt very early in the season; Garnett Hollis mostly filled in for him but Johnson as a redshirt freshman got more meaningful reps than he otherwise might have. Hampton returned from injury at about the same time that Hollis got banged up himself, so Johnson’s early relief duty continued.