 Johnson attended Dougherty Comprehensive High School in Albany, Georgia and played collegiately at Florida State for three seasons.A tough, athletic inside player with a vertical leap, he averaged 13.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.0 block per game for the Seminoles during the 2005–06 season, his last.Johnson was selected by the Indiana Pacers 45th overall in the 2006 NBA Draft, after declaring for the draft in his junior season.