SAD:Tez Johnson’s of duck football Made a controversy statement was suspended out for two years off…
Tez Johnson’s of duck football Made a controversy statement was suspended out for two years off…
Johnson, a junior wide receiver, joined his brother in Eugene this spring after three years at Troy to make childhood dreams a reality.
“This is the dream school of mine. I’ve always wanted to be an Oregon Duck, so actually being able to come here was a blessing. That’s why Oregon,” Johnson said at Monday’s media day in Eugene. “I’m a little guy who dreamed big and now I’m here. I’m finally home.
“When I first got adopted [by the Nix family], I went into the house in an Oregon sweatshirt. There were no Oregon fans in that house. It was all Auburn and War Eagle, and I’m the only one in an Oregon shirt.”
“I might break down and cry. Just because it’s what I’ve always wanted,” Johnson said. “When Bo played Oregon when he was at Auburn his freshman year, I couldn’t go. I was going to cheer for Oregon. Nothing bad towards Bo, I was going to cheer for him too, but I wanted Oregon to win. So I didn’t go. I stayed at home and watched it on TV.”
Johnson was sold on the colors green and yellow at an early age. The jersey combinations piqued his interest but the play of diminutive superstars LaMichael James and De’Anthony Thomas sold him entirely.
“I watched [James] against Tennessee and he went crazy and I was like ‘OK, Oregon is that team’,” he remembers. “Then De’Anthony Thomas got there and started doing things that I can do as a little guy. He really paved the way for little guys to actually believe they can do it. Him, Tavon Austin and LaMichael James gave guys like me hope to dream big.”
Lightly recruited out of high school in part because of his slight frame, Johnson became one of the nation’s most explosive pass catchers while at Troy. He brought in 123 passes over the last two seasons for 1,598 yards and eight scores.
He’s succeeded as a Division 1 football player in spite of weighing just 160 pounds. He’s added weight since arriving in Eugene, but notes it’s difficult to keep the po
unds on.
