KENNESAW, Ga. |
Jan 21, 2026
Autumn Johnson ’18 stood at the front of the class before delivering an oral presentation on WNBA star Skylar Diggins, her paper quivering in her hands as she nervously collected her thoughts.
A former basketball player at Evans High School outside of Augusta, Georgia, Johnson
was naturally drawn toward sports when picking a topic for her presentation. As a
player, she was all too familiar with performing under pressure. As a freshman at
Kennesaw State University, however, public speaking was not yet in her repertoire.
“She was so quiet, and her voice was shaking,” recalled Taylor Snow ’17, Johnson’s friend and former classmate. “But reflecting on that moment, it is so rewarding to see her go from someone who was nervous to be at the front of the room to commanding any room she enters. People are drawn to Autumn, and I’m honored to have a front-row seat on her journey.”
Since earning a broadcast journalism degree in KSU’s Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Johnson has graduated from presenting in the classroom to being featured on televisions and screens across the country.
She wears many hats in the sports journalism world, from serving as a WNBA analyst
for ION Media Networks to sideline reporter for the Atlanta Dream.
She also works as a digital reporter for the NCAA and as an analyst on the Big Ten Network during the women’s college basketball season. In her free time, she fosters a community of sports journalists through her wildly successful AJTV Women in Television Summit, which celebrated its third year in June.
For making bold strides in the industry, Johnson was recently selected for the inaugural class of the KSU Alumni Association’s 40 Owls Under 40. Yet surprisingly, sports journalism wasn’t her first pursuit in college.
Developing a passion for storytelling
After graduating high school, Johnson decided to follow her brother to Kennesaw State, having been impressed by the campus atmosphere and proximity to Atlanta. With her basketball playing days behind her, she originally pursued an exercise science major to stay close to the sport. After serving as a manager for the KSU women’s basketball team, she decided the career path wasn’t for her.
“That experience was a blessing in disguise because it caused me to pivot to something I truly loved, and that was storytelling and connecting with players,” Johnson said. “The coaching staff really encouraged me to pursue it, and I decided right then to make the leap.”
Johnson credits KSU’s relationship with ESPN+ with helping generate an opportunity to showcase her raw broadcasting talent. Many Owls sports broadcasts are produced in-house using student talent on air. But Johnson had one initial hurdle to clear — she had no reel showcasing prior work to share with producers. Using cameras and microphones rented through University Information Technology Services, Johnson organized impromptu interviews with Owl student-athletes to prove her mettle.
“I wanted to show them that I can talk to these athletes and connect with them,” Johnson said. “I wanted to make sure they didn’t have a reason to say no. Fortunately, they saw right away there was something in me, and that meant so much.”
Jaye Wallace ’18, who first met Johnson in a residence hall on campus, recalled the late nights the aspiring journalist would spend prepping for interviews.
“She’d be inside her dorm until 2 a.m. preparing questions and watching game film with people,” Wallace said. “She would go the extra mile to prepare for something that wasn’t even going to air, but that’s how dedicated she was to the craft.”
With her gamble paying off, Johnson found her way onto some of the biggest stages
in sports as a student reporter, including the 2018 College Football Playoff National
Championship featuring Georgia and Alabama. It was also during this time that Johnson
met one of her early sports journalism idols, Cari Champion.
“I stand on the shoulders of what she created,” Johnson said. “She knocked down the door so I can walk in. It’s so important as a woman in this space to do that the same way my mentors have done for me, so that others can follow in our footsteps.”
Breaking onto the scene
Johnson cut her teeth as a professional journalist back in Augusta working for ABC-affiliate
WJBF as a sports and news reporter. There, she further developed her skills as a multimedia
journalist by writing, shooting, and editing her own segments on a tight deadline.
With the added experience, she found her first big break as a reporter and eventual
host for the NBA 2K League, an esports league centered around a popular video game
franchise.
She was unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight when COVID-19 halted nearly all in-person
sports, leading to a surge in viewership for esports competitions like the NBA 2K
League.
It was also during this time that Johnson found her true voice as a broadcaster.
“I’ll never forget my mentor, Matt Arden, telling me that people want to know Autumn the person and not Autumn the broadcaster,” she said. “I still hold onto that. That taught me that you resonate with people when they can see you for your true, authentic self. I felt like I could really let my hair down and just be me.”
Her work with the NBA 2K League caught the attention of the NCAA, which had been seeking a women’s basketball digital host. After serving as a bracketologist during March Madness, she experienced one opportunity springboarding into the next, until she landed in her current role with ION Media Networks.
Her foray into WNBA coverage comes at a time when the league’s popularity is hitting an all-time high. According to ESPN, the league set a single-season attendance record in 2025.
“I remember covering an Atlanta Dream game at Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion and there being very few people in the stands,” Johnson said. “Just this season, I covered a game at State Farm Arena and looked up to see fans all the way up to the rafters. There was not an empty seat in the house.”
A longtime Dream fan, Johnson said patrolling the sidelines with a microphone in hand feels like her life is coming full circle. Snow, who coordinates events in the sports industry, can attest. The two KSU alumnae often cross paths in the field, most recently reconnecting at the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament final.
“After the game, I waited for Autumn to finish up her work, and she casually mentioned that she interviewed Maya Moore, who just happens to be one of the biggest names in professional women’s basketball,” Snow said. “These are women that we looked up to, and now she gets to tell their story. We always remind each other to celebrate these moments.”
Fostering a community
The phrase “giving someone their flowers” has entered the sports lexicon in recent years, but it’s simply another way to show acknowledgement and praise. For Johnson, giving flowers can be literal, too.
She believes much of her success wouldn’t be possible if not for the mentorship she received from other women in the industry as a budding sports journalist. In 2023, she launched the AJTV Women in Television Summit to help foster collaboration and networking among female sports journalists. To celebrate the trailblazers in the room, Johnson had flowers delivered and distributed to the attendees.
“The fact she can get these powerful women in one room together is a testament to her and the relationships she’s built in the industry,” Snow said. “She’s been very intentional with creating a community around her, a community she can lean on for advice. She reciprocates that for others looking for their big break.”
Held in Atlanta, Johnson’s summit has drawn sports journalists from multiple states and most recently featured a fireside chat with NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor and ESPN’s Ari Chambers. For Johnson, the goal has always been to build a stronger foundation for those who come after her.
“I want every woman to know they have someone to lean on,” she said. “If I can make it a little bit easier for them, that makes me happy. I know I’ve done my job if I can continue to reach back and bring someone else along.”
This article also appears in the current issue of Summit Magazine.
– Story by Travis Highfield
Photos by Jeremy Freeman
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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.