Born on September 25, 1985 in Tyrone, Georgia, Calvin Johnson has grown into one of the best college football wide receivers of all time. His rare combination of speed, size, strength, and athletic ability make him difficult to guard no matter who is lining up opposite him. Johnson stands 6 foot 5 inches tall, and weighs close to 240 pounds. To go along with this he has 4.3 speed, and a vertical leap of more than 47 inches!
Johnson started his football career at Sandy Creek High School. As a senior he put up average numbers, but not anything that would blow you away. During his senior season Johnson pulled in 40 balls totaling 736 yards. He added a modest eight touchdowns on top of this. His career high school numbers were 80 catches for 1,479 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Despite not having the best stats among high school receivers, college coaches came from all over to see what Johnson had to offer. Of course, the main reason for this was his huge upside potential. During his senior year he was pegged as one of the top 10 players in the entire country, as well as one of the best in the state of Georgia. This led to a highly contested recruiting war which was eventually won by the Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech as it is also known.
During his time at Georgia Tech Johnson made a name for himself. In fact, many people believe he is the best receiver to ever play at the school; and that is saying a lot considering the players who have come before him. In three seasons as a wide receiver at Georgia Tech, Johnson totaled 2,927 yards on 178 receptions. He also contributed 28 touchdowns.
After losing to the West Virginia University Mountaineers in the 2007 Toyota Gator Bowl, Johnson declared himself eligible for the upcoming NFL Draft.
