Athlete POV: Cornelius Johnson, Green Bay Packer Rookie, Michigan Wolverine Goes From ‘The Big House’ To Lambeau

For Cornelius “CJ” Johnson, a 24-year-old rookie wide receiver currently on the Green Bay Packers practice squad, the last year or so was a whirlwind. From an illustrious college career from 2019-23 playing for the mighty Michigan Wolverines, who won three consecutive Big 10 championships in that time (including 2023’s undefeated National Championship team) to getting drafted by the L.A. Chargers before landing at Green Bay. All of which means Johnson has competed in some of the most iconic stadiums, including Michigan Stadium, a.k.a. the “Big House,” where he first got a taste of the stadium lights and other Big Ten big buildings as well as major NFL stadiums including Lambeau Field, SoFi Stadium and Lucas Oil Stadium.

At Michigan, Johnson played 61 games with 44 starts recording 138 receptions and picking up 2,038 yards and 14 TDs for a wildly impressive 14.8 yards average per catch—which is a lot of first downs. The famed and massive stadium, Johnson says, helped him over the course of his college career.

“Michigan Stadium is the biggest football stadium in the country,” he says of the 107,601-capacity building in Ann Arbor, Mich. “It’s a great stadium, has a great atmosphere, playing surface, locker rooms–there’s a lot of factors that go into a great stadium, but that’s definitely a top one, especially when it’s also your home field. It’s huge, and there’s nothing like it.”

Interestingly, this week Michigan’s “Big House” popped up in the news when country star and stadium act Zach Bryan announced a historic show there for Sept. 27. Promoted by AEG Presents, the show will be both the building’s first concert and the largest ever with 112,000 tickets already sold-out and surpassing George Strait’s record this past summer at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field.

For Johnson, though, it’s not just the size of the building that made Michigan Stadium special. “I like the way it’s built, it’s very symmetrical,” he says, noting that when he was a kid he was interested in architecture and made drawings of stadiums, arenas and other facilities. “I just like the overall aesthetic of these buildings.”  

When asked about his favorite venue in the Big 10 other than his beloved home field, Johnson cites a northerly neighbor. “One of my favorite places to play, which had a great locker room, great field and an overall quality stadium, is Minnesota, that’s a good one,” he says referencing the Golden Gophers’ Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. He also says he enjoyed playing at Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium.   

As for his least favorite buildings he cites Beaver Stadium, home of Penn State’s Nittany Lions in University Park, PA. “The vibe and the stadium is jumping and they have a song (‘Hail To The Lion’) they play at their stadium they’re known for” which didn’t make playing there easy. But Johnson also acknowledges playing Penn State is “a classic match up.”  And, of course, there’s another classic Michigan match up the wide receiver can’t help but mention.  “As a Michigan football player there’s nothing like going into Columbus and playing Ohio State.”

Johnson says he also didn’t care much for Wisconsin’s Camp Randall or Michigan State’s Spartan Stadium because “the locker rooms are so small, there’s no space and the fields aren’t that good.”

While playing in the vastly misnamed Big 10, which now has 18 teams, Johnson got to compete several time in one particular NFL stadium that’s’ become one of his favorite buildings. “One the coolest buildings is Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis,” he says.  “Besides Michigan, Lucas Oil is a building I know the ins and outs of. I played there three times for the Big Ten Championship and I was there for the NFL combine. It has this tunnel where you can be indoors the whole time and get from the field all the way to a hotel, the convention center and it’s a really cool spot. That’s probably why they keep doing the combine there every year because like it’s such a good spot for that. I know my way around that stadium for sure.”

While Michigan’s football program is one of the top in the country, Johnson says he was still very impressed by the facilities when he got drafted by the L.A. Chargers.

“I was fortunate I played at the LA Chargers, their stadium and their facility were brand new. They call it ‘The Bolt’ (their training facility in El Segundo) and SoFi Stadium were brand new and a really, really nice facility. The food’s great, the cafeteria, the locker rooms, the weight room, everything.”

That said, the Connecticut native, who played high school at The Brunswick School in Greenwich, likes his current Green Bay, Wisconsin, facilities better.  “If I had to compare the LA Chargers for practice and Green Bay Packers practice facility, I’d lean towards the Green Bay Packers practice facility. It’s better because it’s more compact and the Chargers had so many different floors and didn’t have an indoor field, which is probably because it’s in California and the weather is so consistent there they don’t need indoor field, but they didn’t even have turf so it was confusing. They only had grass, so when we played on turf it felt weird, but it was great. The weight room was cool. Two different vibes for sure, but I like Green Bay.

Green Bay also has Titletown, the 45-acre mixed-use development adjacent to Lambeau Field. “I’ve been there and it’s pretty cool,” says Johnson. “It’s right next to the stadium and it’s huge for the pregame. I went around Christmas and they had fireworks coming out of the stadium and a light show it was almost part of the stadium. They have a mini field, it was a regulation size field, but it’s in this cool environment in a park.  They have an ice-skating center outdoors so I was doing some ice-skating—it has a really cool vibe.”

While the New Englander knows all about cold weather, Ann Arbor and Green Bay are at another level, but he also knows the legacy of the buildings and how lucky he is to play in such historic buildings. “Michigan Stadium and Lambeau Field specifically are two of the most legendary spots and it definitely hits me every time I go out there,” he says. “I try to motivate other people if it’s freezing cold out just saying ‘this is what it means to be a Packer, you can’t complain.’ Same with Michigan.”

Looking ahead, this rookie has his work cut out for him trying to get off the practice squad. “This year it’s going to be about coming into the off-season program and into the training camp and that’s where I’m really going to earn my stripes and have a bigger role. I’m on a regimen and a coach that helps me with that in the off-season.”