Chip: Tyler Johnson returning to Gophers for senior season goes beyond football

BleedGopher

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per Chip:

The allure of the NFL, and the money, were tempting. Tyler Johnson said he “absolutely” gave serious thought to leaving school early for the NFL draft after his record-breaking junior season.

Ultimately, the Gophers’ star receiver decided to stay after consulting with his parents and coaches. Being able to graduate heavily influenced his deliberations.

“The degree is something that’s very important,” he said.

Underclassmen had until Monday to declare for the draft. There was some uncertainty about whether or not Johnson would skip his senior season until he posted a picture of himself on Twitter with the caption “Last ride.”

He didn’t sound conflicted in explaining his decision during a quiet moment at the team’s complex Wednesday.

“I know that we’ve got something special going on here,” he said. “I’m very excited for what the team has to bring next season. I’m excited to get back to work.”

Earning his degree, he said, was a main driving force behind his return. He’s on track to graduate after the fall semester with a degree in business and marketing education. Johnson, a graduate of Minneapolis North, said he hopes his degree sets an example for his four younger siblings and kids in north Minneapolis.

“It will help them to understand and realize that getting a degree is very important,” he said. “It means a lot to me knowing I’ve got a big impact on a lot of people.”

http://www.startribune.com/tyler-jo...senior-season-goes-beyond-football/504455432/

Go Gophers!!
 

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TJ6 climbing my list of all-time favorite Gophers!


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TJ6 climbing my list of all-time favorite Gophers!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tyler, Coughlin and the empire class, ZA5 agreeing to walk on, Bateman believing in Fleck so much that he told GA no... I think if these guys build this to what I think it can become there will be a lot of players currently on the team that will be all-time favorites for me for the next 50 years
 



This was a refreshing read.

Yeah, in a day and age dominated by stories of athletes doing stupid and selfish things it is so nice to read stories about kids that just "get it". Glad that Johnson seems to see the big picture and understands that there is life outside of football. That will serve him well no matter what happens to him on the field in terms of the NFL.
 

How can you not love Tyler Johnson? What a great kid.
 

Any chance any of his siblings are decent prospects?

His brother Tayler was a solid football and basketball player at North and just graduated last year. He's playing football at Northern Iowa now.
 




Johnson is an impressive kid. Has come from what is typically a tough situation (North Minneapolis) and done very well on and off the field. Model teammate, coaches seem to love him, fan favorite.

I watched him play a lot of basketball in high school when I lived near North. Insane athlete. One of my favorite stories involves him dunking on the kid in the picture below. After the kid was dunked on, he got a lot of grief from teammates, friends, family, etc. because its such an awesome image. His parents got a life-sized cardboard cutout made and had it as his grad party for people to sign.

Tyler Johnson saw it on Twitter and sent the kid a congrats on graduating message. northdunk_large.JPG
 

Johnson is an impressive kid. Has come from what is typically a tough situation (North Minneapolis) and done very well on and off the field. Model teammate, coaches seem to love him, fan favorite.

I watched him play a lot of basketball in high school when I lived near North. Insane athlete. One of my favorite stories involves him dunking on the kid in the picture below. After the kid was dunked on, he got a lot of grief from teammates, friends, family, etc. because its such an awesome image. His parents got a life-sized cardboard cutout made and had it as his grad party for people to sign.

Tyler Johnson saw it on Twitter and sent the kid a congrats on graduating message. View attachment 5962

That's awesome!
 

Johnson is an impressive kid. Has come from what is typically a tough situation (North Minneapolis) and done very well on and off the field. Model teammate, coaches seem to love him, fan favorite.

I watched him play a lot of basketball in high school when I lived near North. Insane athlete. One of my favorite stories involves him dunking on the kid in the picture below. After the kid was dunked on, he got a lot of grief from teammates, friends, family, etc. because its such an awesome image. His parents got a life-sized cardboard cutout made and had it as his grad party for people to sign.

Tyler Johnson saw it on Twitter and sent the kid a congrats on graduating message. View attachment 5962

Wow.....that image is unreal....
 



Johnson is an impressive kid. Has come from what is typically a tough situation (North Minneapolis) and done very well on and off the field. Model teammate, coaches seem to love him, fan favorite.

I watched him play a lot of basketball in high school when I lived near North. Insane athlete. One of my favorite stories involves him dunking on the kid in the picture below. After the kid was dunked on, he got a lot of grief from teammates, friends, family, etc. because its such an awesome image. His parents got a life-sized cardboard cutout made and had it as his grad party for people to sign.

Tyler Johnson saw it on Twitter and sent the kid a congrats on graduating message. View attachment 5962

I would like a life sized cutout as well please, wow!
 


I believe Tyler is also one of the most unquestioned leaders of the team. Nice to have his leadership returning, in addition to his performance on the field. Great Gopher story.
 


I love these great student athlete stories ! I'm glad we will have another season to watch Tyler.
 

I think TJ will be better next year but not have as good of stats as what he put up this year. The Bateman, CAB, DD and BSF effect...
 

Johnson is an impressive kid. Has come from what is typically a tough situation (North Minneapolis) and done very well on and off the field. Model teammate, coaches seem to love him, fan favorite.

I watched him play a lot of basketball in high school when I lived near North. Insane athlete. One of my favorite stories involves him dunking on the kid in the picture below. After the kid was dunked on, he got a lot of grief from teammates, friends, family, etc. because its such an awesome image. His parents got a life-sized cardboard cutout made and had it as his grad party for people to sign.

Tyler Johnson saw it on Twitter and sent the kid a congrats on graduating message. View attachment 5962

He got mad hops.
 

I think TJ will be better next year but not have as good of stats as what he put up this year. The Bateman, CAB, DD and BSF effect...

This is a very solid point. To add to it, with Smith and Brooks likely coming back and healthy, there's a lot of playmakers on O. Only so many touches to go around. I think TJ will be invaluable on 3rd and 7+, though.
 

Tyler Johnson came to our little school in western Minnesota around his freshman or sophomore year in high school for a playoff game. One of our kids broke his leg, and Johnson lead his team in prayer over our fallen player. Loved the kid ever since that day. That would not have changed if he would have went pro, but this is great news for U of MN fans!!
 

Johnson is on the radar of NFL scouts. They will watch for technique, hands and athletic ability. They won't focus on whether he gets more touches.
If Johnson keeps improving his technique and catches what gets thrown his way, he'll be at least a mid-round draft pick.
 

Johnson is on the radar of NFL scouts. They will watch for technique, hands and athletic ability. They won't focus on whether he gets more touches.
If Johnson keeps improving his technique and catches what gets thrown his way, he'll be at least a mid-round draft pick.

Curious to see if through some specific training if he can improve his speed too.
 

I give credit to Johnson but also to Fleck. This is an example of his developing men in 4 areas...including academics and socially. Tyler cites wanting to be a role model (socially) and get his degree (academics). I've been a Fleck cheerleader since day one and now we are seeing examples of the benefits of all the things he does besides coach football. Kudos to Tyler! May his decision benefit him in every way.
 

Curious to see if through some specific training if he can improve his speed too.

I'm sure there is something, however if the training is not done in a montage with "Eye of the Tiger" playing overhead it is all for naught.
 

I give credit to Johnson but also to Fleck. This is an example of his developing men in 4 areas...including academics and socially. Tyler cites wanting to be a role model (socially) and get his degree (academics). I've been a Fleck cheerleader since day one and now we are seeing examples of the benefits of all the things he does besides coach football. Kudos to Tyler! May his decision benefit him in every way.
Don’t forget the contribution of coach Matt Simon as well.
 

Curious to see if through some specific training if he can improve his speed too.
There have been NFL Hall of Famer's who didn't have great speed. Chris Carter comes to mind. Run great routes and catch every ball that comes your way.
 

Always remember the pie:

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I think TJ will be better next year but not have as good of stats as what he put up this year. The Bateman, CAB, DD and BSF effect...

Wouldn't shock me to see this happen as well. The important part for the offense is that he will almost certainly draw the other teams best cover guy and often safety attention as well which of course then opens things up for the other guys. And for the first time in a while, those other guys might be pretty good as well.
 




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