Player Countdown: No. 1 CB Kevin Johnson

Senior Kevin Johnson is slated as one of the two starters at cornerback alongside fellow corner Bud Noel. Johnson, who enters the season with 29 starts including every single game over the past two seasons, will look to improve upon a 2013 campaign which saw him named Honorable Mention All-ACC. He finished last season with 58 tackles, three interceptions, and 12 pass breakups and returned four punts for 15 yards.

Despite a fast start to the season, recording an interception in each of the first two games, Johnson recorded only one interception over the final ten games. This was largely due to quarterbacks avoiding his side of the field as he continued to earn a reputation for being a lockdown corner. Alongside Noel, Johnson is expected to provide the defense with a well-needed aggressive secondary. Alongside Florida State and Virginia Tech, Wake Forest is expected to have one of the top secondaries in the Atlantic Coast Conference - in large part to Kevin Johnson's athleticism and talents.

Johnson attended River Hill High School in Maryland, where he played alongside recent graduate Michael Campanaro in what must have been one heck of a football team. Johnson was an all-state cornerback as a senior as well as the feature running back on offense. In his four years at River Hill, the team went 47-3. In addition to Wake, Johnson was recruited by Wisconsin and West Virginia.

Johnson will likely be matching up with the top receiver on the opposing offenses and will be the primary threat for Wake's secondary. KJ was also recently named as the fifth best cornerback for the 2015 NFL draft class, projected to go around the third round. Johnson will be expected to provide a necessary spark to a Wake defense which will be looking to improve upon their top 50 defense from a season ago.