Tyron Johnson and ‘Unselfish’ Wide Receivers Focusing on Big 12 Title

No position group at OSU received as much publicity and attention this offseason as the Cowboy’s wide receiving corps.

Widely regarded as a top five position group nationally, they entered 2017 with lofty expectations to produce big numbers behind the arm of Mason Rudolph. Leading the bunch is James Washington Jr., a Biletnikoff favorite. And behind him is potential NFL talent across the board — from Chris Lacy, to Marcell Ateman, to Tyron Johnson, and the list goes on.

While production doesn’t seem to be a problem and expectations for this group aren’t likely to be overstated, there’s simply not enough touches to go around to everyone. After one game, it was clear to me that Johnson — the LSU transfer — was the most electric with the ball in his hands. He’s exactly what you’d expect from a former five-star prospect. Yet he only got 1 catch and 1 carry for a total of 55 yards and a TD.

So what gives? What keeps him from being mad about the limited touches?

“There’s no way you could be mad after a game like that,” Johnson said. “1 catch, no catch — we got the win. This is an unselfish group of receivers and an unselfish team. Other guys make plays, we’re happy for them. They’re happy for me. I’m happy for them. And that’s how it’s got to be.”

With enough talent at receiver to go 8-deep, it would be easy to understand any frustration from Johnson or Ateman or any one of the receivers talented enough to deserve more touches in this wide-open offense. But there was none of that.

For Johnson, touches don’t trump goals — and thus far, all of his and his team’s are still intact.

Said Johnson: “We’re one step closer to that goal of a Big 12 championship.”