Penn State 'hopeful' tight end Theo Johnson will make his season debut this week
Penn State tight end Theo Johnson traveled to West Lafayette, Ind., for the team’s season opener at Purdue. However, the third-year Nittany Lion did not participate in warmups and was not in pads prior to kickoff. He was then seen supporting his teammates from the sideline in street clothes.
What’s the latest on Johnson’s status ahead of a Week 2 matchup with Ohio at Beaver Stadium?
“We were hoping that we may have him available in that Purdue game,” coach James Franklin said. “That’s not our call. But, we were hopeful, traveling [him] to see if there was a chance of that, and we’ll go from there.
“Obviously, everybody knows how much of a big-time player he is and how much respect we have for him, both on and off the field. So, hopefully we’re able to get him back sooner rather than later. Hopefully that’s this week.”
With Johnson sidelined, starter Brenton Strange played 64 of the 79 Penn State stats on offense. Backup Tyler Warren took 47 snaps inside of Ross-Ade Stadium.
Johnson caught 19 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown in 2021. As a first-year player, he hauled in 4 catches for 56 while preserving his redshirt status in 2020. Once he’s back, Lions fans can expect to see all three players share snaps, with Johnson presumably slotting in behind Strange and in front of Warren once he’s healthy.
Johnson’s absence caused one other change for Penn State
Down a tight end, Penn State used versatile lineman Bryce Effner as an extra blocker while also managing its other two tight ends’ snap counts.
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“We had to kind of scramble there, because a big part of our game plan was 12 personnel and 13 personnel, and we had to scramble [without Johnson],” Franklin said. “The positive is, it allowed us to get Effner some more reps rather than just at tackle. If you watch the tape closely, he actually played like an extra tight end in some sets for us.”
Penn State will need Johnson at Auburn in two weeks, but it should be able to get by the Bobcats if the third-year Lion needs an extra week off. Kickoff for the Lions’ home opener is set for noon. ABC will televise the game.
“I loved how our guys handled both Friday’s practice and Sunday’s practice,” Franklin said. “We’re a little bit ahead, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to get better this week.
“And that’s in every area — offense, defense, special teams, and also individually. If we do that each week as the season progresses, I think we’ll like where we’re at.”
