Duke Johnson

BIOGRAPHY

Duke Johnson Jr. was born on September 23, 1993, in Miami, Florida. He is a running back in the NFL.

 

Johnson attended Miami Norland Senior High School in Miami Gardens, Florida, where he played football and ran track. As a sophomore, Johnson ran for 1,540 yards and 25 touchdowns. In his junior year, he led Norland to a 13–2 record and state runner-up. After beating the Sammy Watkins-led South Fort Myers 44–28 in the semifinals, Norland lost 44–34 to the unbeaten Tampa Jefferson in the Class 3A final. During his senior year, Johnson compiled 1,957 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, 14 receptions for 232 receiving yards and three touchdowns, three kickoff returns and one punt return for scores, as he led Miami Norland to 15–0 finish and state Class 5A championship. In the championship game against Wakulla, he scored five touchdowns.

He was also on the school's track & field team, where he was a standout sprinter and long jumper. He placed 5th in the long jump event at the 2010 GMAC Qualifiers, with a jump of 6.60 meters. In 2011, he placed 4th in the 100 meters at the 3rd Annual Miramar Invitational, recording a career-best time of 10.62 seconds. He finished 3rd in the 200 meters at the FHSAA 3A District 16, with a time of 22.31 seconds.

Johnson attended and played college football at the University of Miami from 2012 to 2014. In his freshman season, he rushed for 947 yards on 139 carries with ten touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown. He also played a major role on special teams, where he returned 28 kicks for two touchdowns. In 2012, Johnson won both the ACC Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year awards. He became the first Miami Hurricane to win both awards.

Johnson returned from the injury his junior season in 2014 to play in all 13 games. During the season, he passed Ottis Anderson to become the Hurricanes' all-time rushing yards leader. He ended the 2014 season with 1,652 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Following his junior season, Johnson decided to forgo his senior year and declared for the 2015 NFL Draft. In the third round and the 77th overall pick, the Cleveland Browns selected Johnson. In his career to date, Johnson has 299 rushing attempts with 1,286 and also showed pass catching ability with 235 receptions for 2,170 receiving yards with a total of 13 touchdowns.

In 2021 he signed with the Miami Dolphins.

In 2022, he signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills.