Anthony Eugene Johnson (born July 17, 1990) 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 with ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

. He was selected by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

in the seventh round of the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of South Carolina and attended

Aynor High School Aynor High School (AHS) is a public high school in Aynor, South Carolina, United States. It is part of the Horry County Schools district and is an International Baccalaureate school. Notable alumni * Josh Dawsey, journalist for the Washington ...

Aynor, South Carolina Aynor is a small town in Horry County, South Carolina, United States, south of Galivants Ferry. The population was 560 at the 2010 census and estimated in 2018 to be 934. Aynor High School consistently ranks as one of the best schools in Horry Co ...

Early years

Johnson played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

for the Aynor High School Blue Jackets. He was named first-team all-state was by the

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his senior year. He played in the 71st-annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas and was named to the All-Atlantic Region team by

PrepStar ''PrepStar College Recruiting'', known also as ''PrepStar'', is an online magazine at www.prepstar.com, which was established in 1982. It provides information on the top football and basketball prospects in the United States. The online magazin ...

magazine.

College career

Johnson played for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...

from 2009 to 2012. He was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

in 2008. He earned Freshman All- SEC honors in 2009. He was selected to the second-team on

Phil Steele Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, prod ...

's 2012 Midseason All-America and All-SEC teams. He was a member of the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. Johnson started a school record 53 games over his four seasons at the University of South Carolina. He played in the

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

following his senior season.

Professional career

Johnson was selected by the

with the 251st pick in the

. He signed with the Bengals on May 8, 2013. He was released by the Bengals on August 31 and signed to the team's practice squad on September 1. He was signed to a futures contract by the Bengals on January 6, 2014. He made his NFL debut on September 21, 2014 against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. On March 7, 2017, the Bengals extended a restricted free agent tender on Johnson. On March 17, 2017, Johnson signed a two-year contract with the Bengals. He played in 13 games with four starts at right guard before suffering a pectoral injury. He was placed on injured reserve on December 16, 2017. On September 1, 2018, Johnson was released by the Bengals.

References

External links

NFL Draft Scout
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, T.J. Living people 1990 births People from Aynor, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina American football centers South Carolina Gamecocks football players Cincinnati Bengals players