Recapping wide receiver Tyler Johnson's path to Penn State

Penn State fans, the following story appears in Blue White Illustrated’s upcoming Class of 2022 recruiting magazine. It features over 70 pages of analysis, bios and superlatives on the most recent class. You can order today at BlueWhiteOnline.com.

Every signing day, James Franklin and members of Penn State’s staff meet with the media to recap the incoming class. It’s always centered around the newest group of players, but one topic comes up every year: the importance of camps. Franklin has consistently stressed that those camps are a major factor in their scouting process, as they should be.

In 2021, for the first time ever, the NCAA allowed coaches to do on-campus evaluations of soon-to-be senior players in a non-camp setting. Now, if a player’s schedule didn’t work for a specific camp, he could come up for an unofficial visit at any time and do a personal workout with members of the coaching staff.

Coaches across the country praised the move, including Penn State.

“Hopefully the NCAA keeps that moving forward,” Frank said. “It’s very helpful, because at the end of the day, I think for everybody that’s involved in the recruiting process, I do think it’s helpful. For us, we don’t want to make mistakes. We want to be able to have as much information as we possibly can about the kid and his family, but also his athletic ability.

Link: Penn State strength coach Chuck Losey on Drew Allar, Beau Pribula and more

“Having the ability to do those individual workouts allows you to get as much information as possible,” said Penn State Director of Player Personnel Andy Frank back in December. “Some kids can’t make it on a day that you have to camp. Some kids may or may not be able to afford to go to 10 or 15 different college camps. So, to have the individual workouts, which were free to the kids, I think is something that was awesome for us. I think it was awesome for the kids.”

That rule is also a main reason why three-star wide receiver Tyler Johnson is a Nittany Lion. 

Back on June 16, Johnson was one of just a few recruits on campus that day. It gave him an opportunity to spend quality time with the staff, while also getting in one of these workouts. It proved to be a great move, as Johnson ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash that day. He also ran a a 4.2-second shuttle. As impressive as that was, he performed even better in positional drills. By the time he left campus, his offer to Penn State was firm. 

Link: Jahan Dotson leaves the door open at the 2022 NFL Combine

Johnson was also very high on Penn State coming off of that trip. In fact, he ended up coming back to State College two days later, June 18-19, for an official visit. By the time it was all over, Johnson knew what he wanted to do. He would officially announce his commitment the following day, June 21.

“I really wanted to just get all of this over with because I know Penn State is the best school for me,” Johnson said. “I feel like Penn State has something great for me, I can get to the next level there and be developed.”

He went on to add, “I really just feel like it’s a great place where I can showcase my talent, but there’s also a lot of great people there. I just feel really comfortable with them. It’s the right fit.”

Link: Josiah Trotter updates recruitment after announcing top five schools

Johnson emerged on Penn State’s radar during a shortened spring season in 2021. His stats were impressive, totaling 925 yards receiving on just 25 receptions. Even more eye-catching was the fact that he scored 13 touchdowns. That’s a score every other catch. He followed that up in 2021 totaling 1,278 yards receiving on 40 receptions and 13 touchdowns.

“He’s a great kid,” said Magna Visita head coach Joe Favero. “He’s extremely talented and a pleasure to coach. He was a great leader for our team in terms of going out and being a hard-nosed football player. He’s very gifted. [Johnson] brought a lot of positive attention to our program and our area. He showed our young guys that if you go out and work hard and represent yourself well, you can have the opportunity to go play at a great place like Penn State.”

Penn State ultimately beat out Wake Forest and Virginia Tech, both of which are about an hour from Johnson’s home in Ridgeway, Va. He finished No. 546 in the On3 Consensus, and No. 88 at wide receiver. However, our scouts at On3 are higher on Johnson, giving him a four-star rating and ranking him No. 52 at receiver.

“What really stood out was the type of people the staff really were from the time I got there Wednesday up until Sunday,” Johnson said. “I just felt a connection that felt like family and I think that’s important, especially with me being a little ways from home. I feel like if I ever needed something I could go to any one of the coaches.”