Austin Johnson (born June 16, 1989) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

fullback. He played college football at

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and attended Hickory High School in

Hickory, North Carolina Hickory is a city located primarily in Catawba County, with formal boundaries extending into Burke and Caldwell counties. The city lies in the U.S. state of North Carolina. At the time of the 2020 census, Hickory's population was 43,490. Hickor ...

Early years

Johnson played football and baseball at Hickory High School in

. He was an all-state selection for football in 2006 and 2007. He recorded 692 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns on 108 attempts his senior year. Johnson also recorded 35 receptions and 470 receiving yards. He finished his high school career with 580 tackles.

College career

Johnson played for the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegi ...

from 2008 to 2011. He was an Academic All- SEC selection in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

Johnson was signed by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

of the NFL on April 29, 2012 after going undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft.

New Orleans Saints

Johnson signed with the NFL's

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

on January 7, 2013. He was released by the Saints on August 31, 2013. He was signed to the Saints' practice squad on September 4, 2013. He made his NFL debut on September 7, 2014 against the Atlanta Falcons. Johnson suffered a knee injury in the Saints' Week 8 game against the Green Bay Packers; on November 4, 2014, the Saints placed him on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

, ending his season. He was released by the Saints on November 3, 2015 and signed to the team's practice squad on November 5, 2015. He was promoted to the active roster on December 9, 2015. He was resigned on February 10, 2016. On September 3, 2016, he was waived by the Saints. Johnson was then signed to the Saints' practice squad the next day. He was released by the team on September 13, 2016.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On December 14, 2016, Johnson was signed to the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 28, 2016. He was waived on September 2, 2017, and was signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad the next day. He was released on October 10, 2017. He was re-signed to the practice squad on December 20, 2017. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Buccaneers on January 3, 2018. On September 1, 2018, Johnson was waived by the Buccaneers.

References

External links

New Orleans Saints bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Austin Living people 1989 births American football fullbacks American football linebackers Tennessee Volunteers football players Baltimore Ravens players New Orleans Saints players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Players of American football from North Carolina People from Hickory, North Carolina