tennessean
How Ole Miss football commit Colton Johnson became Upperman's first SEC recruit - Upperman's Colton Johnson is No.
10 on The Tennesseans Dandy Dozen, a list of top local recruits.
- Johnson, a three-star tight end, is believed to be the first Power Four recruit in Upperman football's history.
- Johnson committed to Ole Miss after receiving offers from other top programs including Alabama and Florida State.
Uppermans Colton Johnson has long been a fixture on the Bees sideline.
With his father Brian having served as an assistant with Upperman football the past three decades, much of Johnsons youth was spent with a whistle draped around his neck, acting as a makeshift team mascot and quickly becoming a favorite sidekick of past Upperman players.
Few would have anticipated that Johnson would become the top recruit in school history.
In the past decade, Johnson has grown from sideline cheerleader to the one eliciting cheers from the crowd.
Johnson committed to Ole Miss on July 9 after holding offers from Alabama, Florida State, North Carolina, Purdue and more.
The Upperman star is No.
10 on The Tennesseans 20th annual Dandy Dozen list, showcasing the 12 best college football recruits for the Class of 2027 in the newspaper's coverage area.
Johnson becomes the first Upperman player to feature in The Tennesseans Dandy Dozen, while hes also widely believed to be the first Power Four recruit in school history.
As a junior, Johnson had 37 catches for 615 yards and four touchdowns, while also earning Region 4-4A Defensive MVP after racking up 133 tackles at linebacker.
The three-star tight end is the states No.
28 recruit in the Class of 2027 and the No.
34-ranked tight end nationally in the 247Sports Composite.
Some kids might not think that they can (get recruited) because theyre from a small area, Johnson said.
All the kids Im here with today (in the Dandy Dozen), theyre all from these private and 6A schools, but you can go to a small school and do it.
You just have to ball out.
From the sidelines to starring at Upperman Johnsons father Brian, a Hardin County graduate, began his coaching career at Upperman in the late 90s, soon after completing his collegiate playing days at Tennessee Tech.
His sons eventual entrance into football was a given, with Johnson mimicking a bull in a china shop in his earliest days on the baseball field and basketball court, according to his father.
In basketball, he would just be like a bowling ball ..
hes always been that way.
Brian Johnson said.
In baseball, he wouldnt run around the bases, hed run into players." Johnson grew up dreaming of Friday nights adorned in Upperman gold, but understandably never envisioned the heights hes reach, with no player out of Baxter having done it before.
His earliest days in high school were spent dreaming of a future at his fathers alma mater Tennessee Tech.
When Tennessee Tech failed to recognize Johnson, there were times he questioned his future at the collegiate level.
They never really reached out, and he was kind of like, Its right here.
Whos going to notice me if these people in Cookeville dont notice me, Brian Johnson said.
Colton Johnson put together a monster junior campaign on both ends of the ball as the Bees went 9-3 before falling in playoffs to eventual 4A state champion Alcoa.
Soon after his tape began to circulate, and the offers began pouring in.
I think about it all the time, when I get home and kind of settle down from the high of (recruiting) visits Im like, Im really living my childhood dream, Johnson said.
What I wanted to do when I was little.
Johnson now holds over 60 offers.
Throughout the school year, Johnsons father would catch him on the phone with the likes of UNC's Bill Belichick and Alabama's Kalen DeBoer, but despite his status as the most coveted recruit at Upperman, not much has changed within the Bees locker room.
For the scores of local kids who surround Johnson after games asking for photos and signatures, hes larger than life.
But for his teammates, Johnson is the same kid getting chewed out by his father in peewee football.
I mean he hangs out with older kids, younger kids.
Its all like a big family down where were at ..
hes never really made it a big deal, going to these (schools), Brian Johnson said.
Keep a keen eye on Upperman practice and youll see the full rainbow in the gloves protecting the hands of the Bees skill players.
Throughout his numerous recruiting trips Johnson received gear from virtually every school, which he soon disseminated among his teammates, doing his best to involve those around him in every step of the recruiting journey.
Harrison Campbell covers high school sports for The Daily Herald and The Tennessean.
Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.