The NFL world knows that draft day is a rollercoaster. But for Tez Johnson, it was a ride straight into a dream. After a defense-oriented drafting spree, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round switched to offense by selecting Johnson at No. 235th overall.
Indeed, Johnson did not have a high RAS (Relative Athletic Score), but that’s because of the size factor. The scouts knew that there was no denying that Johnson had a real knack for finding spots in coverage. He also has a serious return game threat. But funny enough, Johnson shares many NFL connections with Denver QB Bo Nix. How are the two related?
Tez Johnson, Bo Nix Share Deep Bond Beyond Football
Long before NFL dreams materialized, Tez Johnson’s life looked very different. Johnson did not have an easy life growing up. However, sports became his safe space. It was how he coped with reality and learned to dream. That hope led him to a fateful meeting with Coach Patrick Nix, his high school football coach and a man who would change Johnson’s life.
Trouble at school had reached a breaking point when Tez Johnson’s biological mother arranged a parent-teacher conference. Patrick Nix sat in that meeting, saw the struggle firsthand, and made a life-changing offer.
In an interview with ESPN, Johnson said that at this moment, Patrick asked his mom, “What if he comes home with us for a few days?” And those few days changed Johnson’s life forever.
Tez Johnson finally gets to join his brother Bo Nix in the NFL ❤️
The Oregon wide receiver was selected 235th overall by the Buccaneers 🙌 pic.twitter.com/GWjnLd4SQ0
— ESPN (@espn) April 26, 2025
“Bo Nix is my brother, and I was adopted by the Nix family on the 23rd of April in 2018,” Johnson shared in the interview. “I literally never left. I got a bio family, and I have the Nix family, so I got one big happy family.”
It was not just a roof over his head that Johnson got; he found a bond with Bo Nix that went deeper than any friendship.
On the field, the chemistry was instant. At Pinson Valley High School just outside of Birmingham in Alabama, Johnson started out throwing the ball as a quarterback, but his speed and route running soon made him Bo’s go-to guy at wide receiver.
62 catches, 1,140 yards, 12 touchdowns later, it was evident that Tez Johnson was officially Bo Nix’s favorite target.
Their bond didn’t stop after high school either. Johnson took the long road, grinding it out at Troy in southern Alabama and putting up big numbers before eventually transferring to Oregon and back to Nix.
Oregon was his dream school. And like a playful game of destiny, Johnson and Bo Nix were reunited. The duo was everything the Ducks’ offense needed. Tez’s 86 receptions set a school record, and over two seasons, he led all FBS players with 1,353 yards after the catch.
RELATED: Is Tez Johnson Dating Anyone? Meet His Fiancée Laila Thompson-Wainer
And when draft day came along for Bo, the emotions were high.
“When you see a guy reach his goals, and you’ve been pulling for him your whole life, it’s like a feeling you can’t really explain,” Johnson said, reflecting on the moment Bo got drafted by the Broncos. “I’m living out that dream right now.”
And no doubt, Johnson is doing it with flair and style—the true Nix family way.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
