Wahoos add fifth corner from portal with Georgia Tech/Utah transfer

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia has added a fifth cornerback to its secondary via the transfer portal after gaining a commitment Monday from former Georgia Tech/Utah defender Kenan Johnson.

Johnson announced his commitment to the Cavaliers on his Twitter-X account. He brings a ton of experience to John Rudzinski’s defense, as this will be Johnson’s seventh year of college football.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound corner played five seasons at Georgia Tech, with his best year coming in 2023 when Pro Football Focus graded him the highest of any player on the Yellow Jackets’ defensive roster with a 75.4 on 521 snaps. That season, Johnson played in 11 games (started 8) and posted 29 tackles, two forced fumbles, one interception (vs. Wake Forest) and four passes broken up.

In all, Johnson played in 46 games during his career, 45 of those with Georgia Tech, and had 12 starts (11 at GT).

After his strong season in ‘23, Johnson hit the transfer portal, signed with Utah and started the first game of the ‘24 season against Southern Utah, but played only 13 snaps, suffering a season-ending knee injury in that opener.

He was a 3-star out of Lake Minneola H.S. in Florida in 2018, posting 12 interceptions his final two seasons there, including two pick-sixes his senior year.

Johnson joins four other cornerbacks that have transferred to Virginia this offseason: Donovan Platt (Army), Ja’Maric Morris (Georgia State), Emmanuel Karnley (Arizona) and Jordan Robinson (Cincinnati).

He is UVA’s 32nd player acquired through the portal since the end of last season.