Former Syracuse WR Nykeim Johnson Finds New Home

Johnson entered the transfer portal last month.

Mike McAllister | Jan 8, 2021

Former Syracuse WR Nykeim Johnson Finds New Home /

Former Syracuse wide receiver Nykeim Johnson has found a new home. Johnson posted on Twitter Friday evening that he has committed to Kent State. Johnson entered the portal last month, and lands at a spot with a familiar face. Kent State’s head coach is Sean Lewis, who was the offensive coordinator at Syracuse in 2016 and 2017. Johnson was on the roster in 2017 as a true freshman and now is back with his former coach.

Johnson was a senior this past season, but has one more year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the coronavirus pandemic. Johnson entered the portal as a graduate transfer, meaning he will have immediate eligibility. He brings speed in the passing game and as a returner on special teams. Given that Kent State runs a similar offense to Syracuse, it should also provide minimize the learning curve in terms of the system and playbook.

Johnson finished his Syracuse career with 88 receptions for 1,055 yards and eight touchdowns. He also contributed on special teams averaging 21.9 yards per kick return and 12.6 yards per punt return. He was named to the All ACC Second Team in 2020 for his production as a punt returner.

The best season as a receiver for Johnson was his sophomore campaign during Syracuse's 10 win year in 2018. He finished that season with 41 receptions for 565 yards and four touchdowns.

Johnson signed with Syracuse as part of its 2017 class. He chose the Orange over Army, Bowling Green, Hawaii, Navy and Virginia.

Published Jan 8, 2021

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.