The Oregon Ducks hauled a former four-star cornerback in through the NCAA Transfer Portal on Wednesday.
Tysheem Johnson, now formerly of Ole Miss, has transferred to the Ducks. Head coach Dan Lanning emphasized defense in both recruiting and the portal this offseason and that trend continued with Johnson’s transfer.
Johnson simply tweeted “#SCODUCKS” with a video attached, which announced his big transfer move.
#SCODUCKS🦆🐥🦆🐥 pic.twitter.com/8Arm2jN08N
— 0 (@tysheemjohnson5) January 25, 2023
Johnson spent two seasons with the Rebels and picked up significant playing time. He played in 25 games across those two seasons. In those 25 games, he amounted to 125 tackles, 8.0 TFL, one sack, one interception, and three passes defended. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Johnson plays at safety, a position of need for the Ducks.
Oregon’s pass defense ranked as one of the worst in the country last season. The Duck defense allowed 7.3 yards/pass attempt and, on average, a QB rating of 134.2. Both marks ranked 72nd and 71st in the nation, respectively. Lanning hopes that the addition of Johnson, on top of several other quality defenders will improve the defense and make the team better.
Johnson is not the first SEC recruit that’s joined the Ducks this offseason. South Carolina defensive lineman and former five-star recruit Jordan Burch announced he would transfer to Oregon earlier this month, as well. The foundation is being laid in Eugene for what Ducks fans hope is a much-improved defense in 2023 and beyond.
