Through Three Games, Johnny Johnson Has Stepped Up as Oregon’s Top Wideout

Junior receiver Johnny Johnson has bounced back from a rough sophomore season, and is shining so far in 2019 as the Ducks head into Pac-12 play.

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Coming in to this season, nearly all of the buzz surrounding the Oregon Duck receiving core featured the senior transfer from Penn State, Juwan Johnson, and the incoming freshmen four-star recruit, Mycah Pittman. This was fair, seeing as the rest of the receivers from last year’s team had posted either average, or below-average stats next to Dillion Mitchell, who now belongs to the Minnesota Vikings.

With both Johnson and Pittman being injured for the entire preseason thus far, the Ducks have needed someone to step up and stand out as the go-to target. So far, it’s clear that junior Johnny Johnson has accepted the challenge, as he’s posted 19 receptions for 223 yards and 2 touchdowns in 3 total games.

This has been a nice surprise, as he’s already bested his totals from the 2018 season.

“I have more confidence right now than I have in my entire life," Johnson said when asked what's been different so far this fall, according to 247Sports. “I think it was a mindset change. I’ve always been a hard worker, but I implemented a lot of things, and I knew it was my time to shine."

After showing a ton of promise as a freshmen with 21 catches for 299 yards and a touchdown, Johnson hit a sophomore slump, catching only 17 passes for 215 yards last season. With his outstanding play through 3 games this season, it’s hard to not happy for the guy. His hard work and dedication are appearing to pay off.

“I’ve had complete confidence in him the past few years," Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert said of Johnson. "He’s one of those guys who shows up and works as hard as anyone. I trust him. The entire team trusts him. He makes play. It’s been fun to watch."

The Ducks will travel to Palo Alto this weekend to take on Stanford, where Johnson and the rest of his teammates will look to keep up the good work.