AUBURN, Ala. – K.D. Johnson has signed an Athletics Financial Aid Agreement to play basketball next season at Auburn University, head coach Bruce Pearl announced Monday. Johnson, who played at the University of Georgia last season, will join the Tigers for the upcoming 2021-22 season and have four years of eligibility remaining.
"Three or four years ago, Auburn may have been one of the first schools to offer K.D., and I fell in love with him because he had such a strong personality on the basketball court, he was tough, he was aggressive and he was not afraid," Pearl said. "After last season, and with us having this enormous transition of our backcourt, we were really excited about the possibility of working together. I think he will excel offensively and defensively with what we do."
A 6-foot-1, 190-pound guard, Johnson averaged 13.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.2 assists per game while playing 22.5 minutes per contest in 16 games during the 2020-21 campaign for the Bulldogs.
The Atlanta, Ga. native shot 42 percent from the floor, including 39 percent from downtown, and scored in double figures 12 times, including a team-best four 20-point outings in his first season at Georgia.
Johnson made his collegiate debut against Auburn on Jan. 13 and poured in 21 points, seven rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks in 29 minutes of action. The 21 points were the third-most ever by a UGA freshman in his debut trailing only Dominque Wilkins (26) and Anthony Edwards (24).
Following a 14-point game at Ole Miss, which saw Johnson go 4-of-5 from behind the arc, he was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Jan. 18.
Johnson played at his best in big games after posting career-high outputs in back-to-back road games vs. ranked teams, pouring in 22 points at No. 16 Tennessee and 24 points at No. 11 Alabama.
Prior to his time at Georgia, Johnson spent one season playing at Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) where he helped the Tigers reach the Final Four of the National Prep Tournament.
He averaged 26.2 points, 7.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game in one season at Hargrave.
Johnson played for three seasons at Southwest DeKalb High School (Ga.) where he was twice tabbed all-state for Class 5A by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and was selected as the Class 5A Player of the Year as a junior in 2019.
While playing for the Panthers, Johnson amassed 1,302 points, 375 rebounds, 318 assists and 272 steals while shooting 47 percent from the floor. In 84 games, Johnson posted 62 double-figure scoring outputs, 24 20-point outings, six 30-point outbursts and one 40-point showing.