Born and raised in Raleigh, NC, Johnny attended Clayton High School before making his way to Columbia and the University of South Carolina, where he earned a degree in Media Arts, specializing in Film Production.
Johnny's success started early on the track. While at Clayton, he was a nine-time State Champion, named All-American every year, and a two-time Nike Nationals Champion (2006 Outdoors & 2007 Indoors). His success continued in a Gamecocks uniform. At 19, he was 5th at the 2008 Olympic Trials, three-tenths on a second from making the team. In the collegiate field, he would earn 8 NCAA All-American honors and an Outdoor NCAA National Championship before turning pro ahead of his senior year, taking with him the second fastest collegiate mark all-time in the 400m Hurdles (47.63). Johnny holds a top-5 rank in the world and has represented Team USA at the World Championships in 2009 and 2015.
Known as the 'Spike Lee' of Track & Field, Johnny is an independent filmmaker, and his work can be seen on his YouTube channel. He says, "I'm the go to guy when other athletes have ideas for videos/ideas and I help bring them to life. I've been creating film since the age of 16. From age 11 to 27, I have obtained a great selection of footage of my track journey and experiences."
Though he is hyper-focused on the present, he also has eyes toward the future. When he is ready for a change of scenery one day, he plans to live in Amsterdam, NE, stating, "I love that city!"