Theo Johnson is done biding his time as he becomes a pivotal piece in Penn State’s offense
The lack of established leaders on Penn State’s roster is obvious. There are a group of players — Sean Clifford, PJ Mustipher and Ji’Ayir Brown to name a few — that left after several years of being the voices in the locker room. They kept momentum rolling when things were going well and spoke up when corrections needed to be made.
Penn State head coach James Franklin made note of the need for leadership at the beginning of the offseason and mentioned it throughout spring ball. Tight end Theo Johnson said there was even a meeting about players stepping up.
“This offseason, we sat down with some of the guys that are looking to be leaders, and Coach Franklin,” Johnson said. “There was a conversation, like, we lost a lot of guys. We had career leaders — Sean Clifford, (Jonathan Sutherland), multi-year captains — and there’s a hole there.”
Less than two weeks ahead of the season opener, those vacancies have been filled, thanks in part to the steps taken by Johnson to establish himself.
Heading into his fourth year at Penn State, he’s been named a captain and is set to be one of the most important voices in the locker room, along with being one of the biggest pieces in the offense.
Stepping up as a leader
Johnson has always viewed himself as a leader, but bided his time until he felt it was appropriate for him to have a bigger say in how things are done at Penn State.
“I think that leadership has always been a trait that I felt like came very naturally to me,” he said. “That was something in high school, like I was kind of one of the main guys on my team. But, obviously, when you’re a younger guy at a school like this, you kind of just lead by example and kind of keep your mouth shut for a little bit. And that’s what I did probably my first couple years.”
Part of taking on that role is making sure his position group is ready to contribute in the event that he’s not available. The best leaders help the players competing with them improve while also working on their own craft and using that competition to raise the level of the room.
When Johnson arrived at Penn State, he was on the other end of that. He was a highly touted freshman with major offers from all over the country and all of the upside to become a great college tight end. But he entered a room that had high-end talent. Pat Freiermuth was returning as one of the team’s top targets and a future second round pick. Brenton Strange was less established but was a backup with upside who would also end up going in the second round of the draft this year.
Because of that, Johnson had to make a big transition. It was a change from playing high school football in Canada to enrolling at Penn State.
“I think it was a huge transition for me, just because — obviously — coming from a totally different country and just a totally different game was a transition,” he said. “But I had great mentors and great coaches. Obviously, at the time, we had Pat Freiermuth in the room, and some of the older guys showed me the way on how to work and how to get to where I wanted to be, really focusing on some of the things I needed to work on. Like, blocking, obviously, coming from just playing receiver in high school. So it was a lot, but I think I was well-equipped and well-prepared for it. And I had a lot of people surrounding me that were supporting me, so it was nothing that I couldn’t handle.”
He utilized his years behind Freiermuth and Strange to get better on the field while he waited to speak up off the field. Johnson was present as both established themselves as well-rounded tight ends. They could make an impact in the passing game as receivers who excelled in the red zone but could also spring big runs as blockers who sealed the edge or got to the second level to take out linebackers for their running backs.
Taking the next step
Johnson was not that type of player when he arrived at Penn State. He played exclusively at receiver in high school and was valued as a recruit for his massive frame, his high-level athleticism and his pass catching abilities. That frame, however, also presented the opportunity for him to grow as a blocker.
As he waited his turn to get playing time, he established himself as a good blocker.
“He’s made a huge growth there,” tight ends coach Ty Howle said. “And a lot of the guys that we’re recruiting now, they don’t have to do a ton of it in high school. You know, they’re the best-skilled player on their teams. They’re big wideouts. They’re quarterbacks. Like Tyler (Warren). They’re receiver/D-ends, so that’s obviously an area that is — usually, for most guys — their weakness when they come in and we’re asking them to block a Chop Robinson or a Big Ten defensive end.
“So we take a ton of pride — I know, personally, I do — because at Penn State, you got to be able to run the football. It’s tradition. But these guys do, too. They’re competing with each other on who can have the most finishing blocks and pancakes. And they take a ton of pride in it because I think toughness has got to be a strength for us in the tight end room, so you’re seeing that growth from him — but really everybody in the room, just from how much emphasis we put on it. So I’ve been really happy.”
Johnson made his own strides and now he passes along what he knows to the young player in the room. Fellow junior Tyler Warren said his classmate isn’t afraid to be vocal and have tough conversations, but at the same time is willing to pick someone up when they need it and help comfort teammates when that’s necessary too.
Redshirt freshman Jerry Cross went as far as saying Johnson is like a big brother, describing late nights on the JUGS machine catching passes together and adding that he’s helped him get better.
“Day in and day out, he comes in and sets the tempo for our unit but also our offense as a whole,” Cross said. “So he’s been doing great so far. He’s only going to get better. He’s definitely a good leader for us.”
The last step for Johnson is doing everything as a starter. There’s no reason to believe that he won’t — he’s talented and motivated with a work ethic to match.
But this year will bring a level of playing time that he hasn’t had in college. He’s played a role over the last few years, and has started games as the team’s second tight end, but this team needs more than just a first string tight end. It needs a third pass catcher to step up. If that ends up being Johnson, it could bring a level of production that hasn’t been seen at Penn State from his position.
The kind that ends with school records being broken.
