THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE, April 3, 2014

Sometimes the colleges come calling for you.

And sometimes, you have to let the colleges know you can play.

At 5-foot-9, 172 pounds, Addison Johnson certainly wasn't on Stanford's radar while in the midst of a fine three-year career at wide receiver for the Coeur d'Alene High football team.

But speed comes in all sizes, and once the Cardinal saw him play, at a camp they held for their recruits last August, just prior to his senior season at Coeur d'Alene, they offered him a chance to join the program as a "preferred walk-on" - provided, of course, he could get accepted into the school.

Johnson received the academic thumbs-up from the school last Friday, and will join the Pac-12 football program this fall. Stanford, which won the conference championship last season, has played in Bowl Championship Series games each of the last four seasons, including the last two Rose Bowls.

"I was just excited they were looking at me as a player, wanting me to be a part of their program," Johnson said. "I really like the football program, and academics were important as well."

LAST SUMMER, Johnson and Matt James, a fellow Viking senior who was being recruited by Stanford, traveled to California for the school's "Friday Night Lights" camp for recruits. James had already verbally committed to Washington, and eventually signed with the Huskies in February.

Coeur d'Alene coach Shawn Amos had been in contact with Stanford coaches concerning James, and told them Johnson would be joining him on the trip.

Among those at the camp were three cornerbacks who had offers from Stanford, and the speedy Johnson impressed Cardinal coaches with his play against them.

"They weren't looking at me originally, but I made a name for myself with my speed," Johnson said.

He'll likely redshirt this fall, then hopes to earn playing time at wide receiver and help out on special teams. And, perhaps someday, be rewarded with a scholarship. He's not sure what he wants to be when he grows up, but at Stanford, there's no rush - you have two years before you have to declare a major.

At Coeur d'Alene, Johnson played on two state 5A championship teams, and one state runner-up. As a senior, in an offense with numerous weapons, he caught 40 passes for 671 yards and six touchdowns. Over three seasons with the Vikings, he caught 130 passes for 1,980 and 18 touchdowns.

CONVINCING THE coaches he could play at that level might have been the easy part. He still had to get admitted to the school.

The application process was extensive -- five essays, teacher recommendations, the works. Johnson, who has a 4.0 GPA, scored 2,060 (out of 2,400) on his SATs, and scored a 31 on his ACT.

He took the advanced placement classes in high school that Stanford recommended he take.

He had an offer of a partial scholarship from NAIA Carroll College in Helena, Mont. Also, Montana, Idaho and Northern Colorado offered him the chance to walk on. But when the chance to play for -- and attend - Stanford became a possibility, well, there wasn't much of a decision to make.

"To be able to go to Stanford University, and be able to play football for the Cardinal, they're both exciting," said Johnson, who said he was one of two "preferred walk-ons" in this Stanford recruiting class.

But still, he had to get into the school. Of some 42,000 applicants this year, only around 2,200 - 5.2 percent - got admitted, he said.

THE EMAIL went out last Friday, promptly at 3 p.m., informing those precious few who had been admitted to Stanford - as well as the many others whose admission applications were denied.

Addison clicked on the email from the school, with the subject line, "Your admission decision."

"The first word was 'congratulations,' and I just lost it," Johnson said. "Once I got admitted to Stanford, it was the best day of my life."

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.