Latest news with #TezJohnson
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Oregon Duck Tez Johnson has high praise for former Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka
Former Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka has been making positive impressions on teammates and coaches for a long time. Even after being drafted in the first round of this year's NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he's already impressing new teammates. First, it was quarterback Baker Mayfield. Now it's fellow rookie and former Oregon Duck, Tez Johnson. Johnson, whom the Bucs picked in the seventh round of this year's draft, was asked about Egbuka at a recent press conference. "He's an Ohio State guy and he beat me in the Rose Bowl," Johnson said on Sunday. "But he's a good guy. He's very twitchy for his size, and he runs really good routes and has really strong hands. The guy's smart. He's a human computer." It's more proof of what Buckeye Nation already knew and witnessed for the past four seasons. Johnson and Egbuka are rooming together during summer camp. Egbuka said his roommate snores and brings up the Rose Bowl every day. It seems like what was a small rivalry in college has developed into a respectable friendship. The two dynamic wide receivers, paired with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, could be a formidable duo for years to come. This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Former Ohio State receiver is making a great impression with teammates
USA Today
18-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Checking in with the Oregon Ducks WR room ahead of the 2025 season
We are less than 50 days away from the start of the 2025 college football season, and fewer than two weeks stand between us and the beginning of the Oregon Ducks' fall camp getting off the ground in Eugene. While coaches and players wrap up their final couple of offseason weeks, we're ready to jump back into things and take a deep dive into what's set to take place at Autzen Stadium this year. The Ducks are coming off of an incredible season that saw a 12-0 regular season, a Big Ten Championship, and the No. 1 seed in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. The offseason brought significant roster turnover as Oregon sent a program record 10 players into the 2025 NFL draft; however, those players have been replaced by a young yet incredibly talented group of players ready to uphold the standard in Eugene. Will they be able to complete the job? Expectations are high, but it won't be an easy task. Over the next few weeks, many questions will be asked, and a significant number of them will be answered. Once we get a look at things during fall camp, we will be able to predict more accurately how things shape up. However, we already have our depth chart projections for offense and defense from spring. As we continue our preview of the 2025 season, leading up to the kick-off vs. Montana State on August 30, let's take a deep dive, position by position. Previous Position Previews Now let's take a closer look at the running backs as we prepare for fall camp. Overall Oregon Ducks WR Check-In There are numerous positions on Oregon's roster where talent is abundant, but experience is lacking. That may be no more true than at the WR spot. After losing both Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden to the NFL, the Ducks were expecting to go into the 2025 season with Evan Stewart leading a young group of pass-catchers into the new season. Then Stewart suffered an offseason knee injury, putting his 2025 campaign in doubt. Now the Ducks will have to rely on a young group of players with a lot of talent, but very minimal game experience. That group contains high-upside guys like Dakorien Moore, Jeremiah McClellan, Jurrion Dickey, Justius Lowe, and Kyler Kasper, all of whom could be potential gamebreakers. At this point, however, we need to see it before we can accurately project just how good the Ducks' WR room is going to be this season. Departing Oregon Ducks Wide Receivers Career Stats: 310 catches, 3,889 yards, 28 TD Although he was at Oregon for just two seasons, Tez Johnson quickly became the heart and soul of the Oregon program. He had wanted to be a Duck for a long time, and when his adopted brother, Bo Nix, came to Eugene, Johnson followed. The Ducks are thankful he did just that. He turned from a possession receiver to WR1 in his senior season, where he flourished. In his time as a Duck, Johnson had 169 catches for 2,080 yards and 20 touchdowns. Career Stats: 128 catches, 1,740 yards, 18 TD Holden turned into a solid No. 2 receiver in 2024 and had a career-high of 45 catches, 718 yards, and added five more touchdowns to his resume. As a big-bodied receiver, Holden was a great complement to both Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson during his time in Eugene. Returning Oregon Ducks Wide Receivers Career Stats: 139 catches, 1,776 yards, 11 TD Going into the 2025 season, Stewart was projected to be the No. 1 WR for Oregon and among the top pass-catchers in the nation. However, an offseason knee injury derailed that, and now there are questions about when he will return, if at all, this season. We will continue to monitor the recovery timeline, but it seems more likely than not that Stewart will take a medical redshirt this season and instead focus on returning to the field in 2026. Career Stats: 21 catches, 201 yards, 1 TD Lowe probably would have been a starter on most teams, but most teams didn't have the receivers Oregon had last season. When he finally got his chance, Lowe delivered. He'll have plenty of opportunities in 2025, as we expect his workload to be significantly heavier than in years past, especially with Stewart sidelined. If he can be a reliable receiver, it will only help out guys such as Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan to get into single coverage. Career Stats: 3 catches, 24 yards McClellan was among the top receivers in the Class of 2024 and was mainly on the scout team last season. But in 2025, he should see the field regularly; that's how highly the Oregon coaching staff thinks of him. At 6 feet and 190 pounds, he has the chance to develop into a dynamic player for the program. The only question is how quickly he achieves that. Career Stats: 4 catches, 26 yards It seems as if Kasper has been in Eugene for a long time. He was just 17 when he saw the field for the first time. Now, as a redshirt junior, the 6-foot-6, 210-pounder should have a more prominent role within the offense. You can't teach height at the receiver position. Career Stats: 2 catches, 14 yards Dickey came into the Oregon program as one of the top receivers in the Class of 2023, but injuries slowed his progress, and he has been unable to crack the depth chart so far in his career. But in 2025, Dickey has as good of an opportunity as ever to show why he was a 5-star recruit and become an offensive weapon for the Ducks. Career Stats: 85 catches, 1099 yards, 11 TDs Bryant returns for one more year in Eugene after being sidelined with an injury for the better part of the 2024 season. He will be a valuable veteran in the WR room, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to establish a prominent role amidst all of the talent around him. Career Stats: None Dillon Gresham was one of the few blue-chip receivers that Oregon brought in as a member of the 2024 class, and while he redshirted last year, he showed in the spring game how dynamic of a receiver he can be. It may be tough for him to earn a top spot in the offense, but he is one of the many promising, young pass-catchers on the roster. Career Stats: None Ressler was another member of Oregon's 2024 class who redshirted as a freshman and will be looking to work his way up in the depth chart this season. Incoming Oregon Ducks Wide Receivers Career Stats: None Expectations are high for 5-star WR Dakorien Moore, who was the No. 1 rated receiver in the 2025 class and one of the top-ranked recruits in Oregon history. With Evan Stewart sidelined for the foreseeable future, some extra weight is being placed on the freshman's shoulders to step up and be "the guy" in Oregon's offense. That may be unfair to ask of a player with no college experience, but based on everything we're hearing and what we saw at the spring game, he should be up to the task. Career Stats: 38 catches, 473 yards, 2 TD With all the inexperience currently on the roster, it was smart to explore the transfer portal and secure a receiver like Malik Benson. He had a nice season for a poor Florida State team with 25 catches, 311 yards, and a touchdown. He'll most likely be WR2 or WR3 behind Moore, and with a better quarterback and players around him, Benson's numbers should rise dramatically. Career Stats: None Cooper Perry is a blue-chip player in the 2025 class who was rated as the No. 20 WR in the nation. He garnered a lot of positive attention this spring for his ability to make contested catches over the middle, but he will likely redshirt in 2025 before entering the mix in 2026. Predicting Oregon Ducks Starting Wide Receivers The injury to Evan Stewart certainly threw a wrench in Oregon's starting wide receiver plans this year. What was once envisioned as a trio of Stewart, Moore, and either Lowe or McClellan has now shifted. Moore, McClellan, and Lowe are the most likely candidates to take over as starters, all of whom have minimal to no experience in actual gameplay. Other guys like Jurrion Dickey, Kyler Kasper, Malik Benson, and Gary Bryant will likely get a lot of reps, but my best bet is that trio of guys at the top. Overall Oregon Ducks WR Outlook While the outlook for Oregon's WR group is somewhat uncertain going into the 2025 season, there's hope and a belief that the players on the roster will flourish with the opportunity and break out. If that's the case, then the Ducks could easily have one of the best receiver groups in the nation going into the 2026 season. On top of that, the Ducks' WR recruiting has remained elite under new receiver coach Ross Douglas, who has pulled in 4-star Jalen Lott (No. 33 nationally) and 4-star Messiah Hampton (No. 99 nationally) in this class. On top of that, the Ducks will finally bring in 5-star WR Gatlin Bair next year after his LDS mission comes to a close. Long story short, Oregon's WR group is loaded with talent; we need to see it play out on the field. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ranking the 25 best Oregon Ducks since 2000: No. 23 — Tez Johnson
Over the last 25 years, the Oregon Ducks have been one of the single best teams in all of college football, sitting near the top of the sport for the better part of a quarter-century. Since 2000, Oregon has compiled an overall record of 239-83 (.742), with just two losing seasons during that span. They've been to 24 bowl games, won three Rose Bowls, been to a pair of College Football Playoffs, and appeared in two National Championships. They've seen a Heisman Trophy winner in Marcus Mariota and had 99 players selected in the NFL Draft. It's safe to say that when looking at the nation's best in this millennium, Oregon belongs in the conversation. But who are the players who helped get Nike University into that conversation? That's a different question entirely. To celebrate the quarter-century mark, we're going to dive into that question over the next month as we approach the start of the 2025 season. The Ducks have had hundreds of memorable and beloved players over the years, many of whom will live on forever in some way. But who is the best of the best? That answer, of course, is subjective. When reviewing the numbers and conducting our research, we took several factors into account: career statistics, overall impact and success, legacy, fan adoration, and NFL success. Boiling 25 years of Oregon football down to 25 players is no easy task, and not one that we took lightly. Dozens of players were left on the cutting room floor who deserve a spot in the top 25, and at some point, subtracting names off the list started to feel like pulling teeth. But in the end, we were left with 25 players, whom we will honor over the next few weeks. If you want to catch up, let's take a look at how we've gotten to where we're at in the rankings: Today, let's continue with No. 23 — the speedy Tez Johnson. Player Overview Although Tez Johnson was a member of the Oregon Ducks for just two seasons, having spent his first three at Troy, he quickly became a beloved player from both fans' and teammates' perspectives. The 5'10", 165-pound jitterbug slot receiver joined his adopted brother, quarterback Bo Nix, at Oregon ahead of the 2022-23 season and burst onto the scene, establishing himself as one of the top pass-catchers in the country. During his two seasons, Johnson consistently found the open spots in the defense. Combined with his slippery run-after-catch capabilities, he made life easy for both Nix and Dillon Gabriel, his passer in 2024-25. Though he battled a shoulder injury late in the season, Johnson was the team's leading receiver and had a significant hand in Oregon securing the 2025 Big Ten title and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. Tez Johnson Career Stats 26 Games — 169 catches, 2,080 yards, 20 TDs Single Best Season 2023: 14 games — 86 catches, 1,182 yards, 10 TDs A key part of the fourth-highest FBS scoring offense in 2023, Johnson was second on the team in receiving yards and touchdowns behind fellow WR Troy Franklin. With its dynamic duo out wide and Nix throwing passes, the Ducks went 11-1 in the regular season and capped their campaign off with a dominant 39-point Fiesta Bowl victory. Tez Johnson NFL Draft Concerns over his lack of size resulted in Johnson falling in the draft, where he was selected in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft, at pick No. 235 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tez Johnson's Lasting Legacy Johnson wasn't the biggest, nor was he necessarily the fastest in terms of straight line speed -- but Johnson's will, determination and competitiveness stood out on every single snap that he played for the Ducks. Though he spent just two seasons in Eugene, Johnson will forever be entrenched among the best and most beloved receivers in Oregon football history. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
28-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where Oregon Ducks' College Football 26 ratings slipped most from a season ago
The EA Sports College Football 26 video game is set to drop in a matter of weeks, so new details and trailers have been pouring out over the last months as fans prepare to dive back into the beloved gaming franchise and get onto the digital gridiron. Earlier this week, the team rankings were released for the top 25 squads in the game, giving us a preview of who the best units will be in the game based on the overall rankings. Unsurprisingly, some of the teams at the top of the rankings are who you would expect — Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, etc. It was, however, a bit of a surprise to see how low the Oregon Ducks were rated in the game, coming in at No. 9 among the top teams with an overall rating of 86. On its face, seeing the Ducks behind the likes of Texas A&M and Clemson might be a bit jarring, but when you dig deeper into the ratings, some other things stand out. Primarily, it's interesting to compare how the Ducks are rated in the CFB26 version of the game compared to CFB25 a year ago. Let's look at the differences. Oregon Ducks Overall Rating Overall Rating in CFB 26: 86 (ranked No. 9) Overall Rating in CFB 25: 93 (ranked No. 3) Analysis: Going into the 2024 season, Oregon was viewed as one of the favorites to win the national championship. They had one of the leaders in the Heisman Trophy race at quarterback in Dillon Gabriel, and a long list of veteran playmakers across the board, like Tez Johnson, Terrance Ferguson, Jeffrey Bassa, and Jordan Burch. While the Ducks still hold high expectations for 2025, there are a few more questions about how high their ceiling is. With a new quarterback, be it Dante Moore or Austin Novosad, and an admittedly young but talented roster, Oregon's ceiling feels high. Still, there is a lower floor than a year ago, especially with Evan Stewart's injury. For those reasons, it's understandable that CFB26 has the Ducks lower. It should also be noted that no single team in CFB26 is rated at a 90 or above, whereas a total of eight teams held that distinction a year ago. Oregon Ducks Offensive Rating Offensive Rating in CFB 26: 85 (ranked No. 19) Offensive Rating in CFB 25: 94 (tied No. 1) Analysis: The most jarring difference in Oregon's ratings from CFB25 to CFB26 comes on the offense. The Ducks went from having what was tied for the No. 1-ranked offense (alongside Georgia) to having the No. 19 offense in the nation, according to EA Sports. Regardless of what you think about players like Dante Moore and Kenyon Sadiq, two of Oregon's projected stars in 2025, it's hard to see them falling off to the point where they are behind the likes of Baylor, SMU, Oklahoma, and BYU, with all due respect. The Ducks might have lost players like Jordan James and Tez Johnson, but they added the likes of Makhi Hughes, Dakorien Moore, and Isaiah World into the mix. This feels like a drop that is far too drastic. Oregon Ducks Defensive Rating Defensive Rating in CFB 26: 92 (ranked No. 7) Defensive Rating in CFB 25: 90 (ranked No. 3) Analysis: Oregon's defensive unit is getting more respect than the offense going into the new season, but it still dropped below what it was a year ago, which, again, is to be expected after losing players like Bassa, Burch, Derrick Harmon, and Jabbar Muhammad to the NFL. Still, there are a lot of pieces to be excited about going into the new year on Oregon's defense, with Bear Alexander coming in from USC, and Dillon Thieneman, one of the best safeties in the nation, transferring from Purdue. On top of that, both Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti are poised for huge seasons, and there are a ton of freshmen, both redshirt and true, who are in line for significant roles as well. Overall Ratings Takeaways From an outside perspective, it doesn't come as a surprise that the Ducks dropped in the rankings from where they were a year ago. While fans in Eugene may be incredibly excited about where the program is headed and what might be possible this season, a "wait-and-see" mentality should be adopted with this team going into 2025. It's fair for EA Sports to have the same thought when making their rankings. College Football 26 Details The standard edition of College Football 26 is scheduled for release on July 10 for $69.99. Both the Deluxe Edition and MVP Bundle are available for download on July 7. The Deluxe costs $99.99, and the MVP costs $149.99 Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mike Evans Praises Bucs' Rookie Wide Receivers
Mike Evans Praises Bucs' Rookie Wide Receivers originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers take a lot of pride in their wide receiver corps, but they have to admit that they are getting up there in age. Advertisement To remedy this fact, the Bucs selected Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, as well as Oregon receiver Tez Johnson in the seventh round. Mike Evans knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a good wideout in this league, and he praised the team's rookies in a recent interview with the media. "That's been very fortunate for me and my career to be around a lot of great young players," Evans said. "They've added to the room tremendously." The Bucs also have Chris Godwin, but he is coming off of a gruesome injury in 2024, so it is good that the team decided to sure up their wide receiver room through this year's draft. Advertisement Tampa Bay finished tied for second in the NFL this past season in passing touchdowns with 41, so adding two guys who had 10 receiving touchdowns in their final season in college could put the team over the top on the offensive side of the ball. The Buccaneers have made the playoffs each of the last five seasons, so their rookie receivers will be looking to help them continue that trend. The difference is, they hope to push the team past the divisional round for the first time since 2020. Related: Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Victim of Most Dropped Passes Related: Buccaneers' Draft Pick Among Rookies With Most To Prove This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
