Tez Johnson’s time in Eugene began with Bo Nix. Johnson joined Oregon last year after spending three years at Troy State, following his brother Nix. Their bond was strong, both on and off the field.
After being adopted by the Nix family as a teenager, Johnson became one of Nix’s favorite targets. He set a school record with 86 catches for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Nix played two years at Oregon after transferring from Auburn, throwing for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns last season. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy before being drafted by the Denver Broncos.
Now, Johnson is with No. 3 Oregon, catching passes from quarterback Dillon Gabriel. He had 10 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown in a 31-10 win over Michigan State last weekend, marking his third game this season with 10 or more catches.
“I love Tez, I love who he represents as a person, so I can definitely get behind a guy like that,” Gabriel said.
“His playing ability is special and he’s showed that for many years. … I only have good things to say about him. We continue to find ways to create solutions to problems, and he’s a great problem-solver so I’m glad he’s on my team.”
Johnson, who is on track to break his reception record this season, said while the recognition is nice, he wants all his fellow receivers to shine as well.
“We don’t already look at records, we look at wins,” he said. “We want to go 1-0 each week and be the best in the country — no matter what.”
So far this season, Johnson has 43 catches for 395 yards and five touchdowns, ranking sixth nationally with an average of 8.6 catches per game. He also had an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown against Boise State, bringing his total punt return yards to 134 over 11 attempts.
“Our offensive staff does an unbelievable job of moving him around, so it’s hard to get a bead on where Tez is going to be on any given play with the movements and motions that we use, and he’s just an elusive player,” coach Dan Lanning said.
