Underneath the brilliant lights on the Huge Ten Championship Recreation, Oregon WR Tez Johnson delivered a efficiency for the ages, torching Penn State with 11 receptions for 181 yards and a landing.
However this wasn’t nearly soccer. Within the stands watching him play in individual for No. 1 Oregon for the primary time was his organic household.
Johnson’s journey from neglected recruit to record-setting receiver is proof that the switch portal, usually a polarizing subject, can work wonders.
Designed to offer gamers the identical fluidity as coaches, the portal presents extra entry to alternative — however with combined outcomes. Many gamers fail to reside as much as the hype of their highschool recruiting rankings.
However for talent positions akin to quarterback and huge receiver, the portal has produced plain success tales. Johnson stands among the many better of them.
A 3-star recruit from Pinson Valley Excessive Faculty in Alabama, Johnson was rated as one of the state’s top 65 players, however that wasn’t sufficient to draw presents from main applications.
As a substitute, he landed at Troy, the place he put up respectable numbers: eight TD catches and 12.8 yards per catch in three seasons. That is strong however removed from spectacular.
The bridge to Oregon got here by way of household. Johnson’s adopted brother, former Geese quarterback and present Denver Broncos starter Bo Nix, pitched him to Oregon head coach Dan Lanning.
“Bo walks into my workplace and says, ‘I believe we have now this man who can perhaps play for us,’ ” Lanning recalled to Ducks Sports Authority. “Bo says, ‘No, no, no, Oregon is his dream college.’ And as we speak, that dream got here true.”
As soon as Johnson (5-foot-10 and 165 kilos) arrived in Eugene, his profession took off. He shattered Oregon’s season receptions report in 2023 with 1,182 yards and 10 landing catches.
However as a substitute of leaving for the NFL, Johnson returned. However two losses to Washington in 2023 left unfinished enterprise.
“One final time,” Johnson posted on X, saying his choice. That quiet however decided mindset defines him, and his MVP efficiency within the Huge Ten title sport solely underscored his significance to the Geese, who’ve bye within the first spherical of the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
For Johnson, the second was as private because it was skilled. After the sport, he discovered his household within the stands, tears filling his eyes.
“I informed them, that is the primary sport y’all coming to, I’ll provide you with all a present,” Johnson told Sports Illustrated, his voice cracking. It was a promise fulfilled in each sense.
