We are a little over a month away from the college football season starting and what better way than to evaluate athletes who are on the rise. This segment will feature University of Oregon’s electric wide receiver Tez Johnson.

Johnson enters his second season with the Oregon Ducks after spending three with the Troy Trojans. During his time with the Trojans, Johnson never went over 1,000 receiving yards, but was a productive wideout. Since his arrival at Oregon, Johnson captured 1,182 receiving yards on 86 receptions and caught 10 touchdowns. He was utilized on special teams and had 19 returns for 178 total yards, with a long of 47 yards.

This season, Johnson will look to establish a rapport with quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who comes from Oklahoma. These two must get on the same page together and if they do, Johnson should be a lock for another one-thousand yard receiving campaign.

Pro Football Focus wrote an articled titled: ‘College Football The top-10 returning wide receivers for the 2024 season’ in which Johnson was listed at number four, just behind Missouri’s Luther Burden III, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillion, and Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka.

Author Max Chadwick kept his description of Johnson very brief but was spot on with his assessment stating:

Formerly at Troy, Johnson made the transition from the Sun Belt conference to the Pac-12 look seamless this past season. Despite only weighing 160 pounds, Johnson was one of the most dangerous receivers in America with the ball in his hands. He paced all Power Five receivers this past season with 727 yards after the catch while his 278 receiving yards after contact were fifth. The junior averaged 3.45 yards per route run, which placed him behind only Malik Nabers among Power Five pass-catchers. His 93.4% open-target rate also placed him in the 99th percentile of FBS receivers.

Johnson should be one of new quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s best friends next season out of the slot.

Johnson’s Collegiate Statistics:

2020: 18 Receptions for 211 Yards, 11.7 Average, 0 TDs

2021: 67 Receptions for 735 Yards, 11.0 Average, 4 TDs

2022: 56 Receptions for 863 Yards, 15.4 Average, 4 TDs

2023: 86 Receptions for 1,182 Yards, 13.7 Average, 10 TDs

2024: TBD

According to PFF and their analytics, Johnson had a 93.4% open-target rate which is a solid accomplishment. He mostly plays in the slot, but has the ability to line up at all positions due to his speed and route-running ability.

The senior receiver will look to produce a one-thousand yard season in 2024 along with securing another double-digit touchdown year.

While Johnson is a solid athlete, and a much needed target for his new quarterback, everything will start with his chemistry with Gabriel. These two athletes must get on the same page early, but if anyone watched just how elusive Johnson was last season, there should be no doubt that he will still produce and be a college football player to watch.