Blue White Illustrated

isiting Penn State for its annual Lasch Bash recruiting event, Theo Johnson decided to do some high-stakes people watching. Still undecided on his college destina- tion, Johnson remembers observing how Penn State's coaching sta7 interacted with its players and being struck by how genuine the relationships were. "I'll never forget that," he said. "It didn't feel like a player-coach relation- ship at all. Honestly, there are so many schools that push and play the family at- mosphere card. You see it everywhere, but that was when I truly got the feeling that Penn State's atmosphere was di7er- ent than other schools. You could tell there was more holding this group to- gether than football." Now, Johnson is part of that family. The tight end enrolled at Penn State in Janu- ary a8er announcing his verbal commit- ment in early December. Johnson based his choice partially on what he saw at the Lasch Bash that day – an assurance that Penn State's coaching sta7 would support him no matter what he does on the 6eld. He also had a strong relationship with Penn State tight ends coach Tyler Bowen, whose consistency, he said, exempli6ed the approach the Nittany Lions used throughout the recruiting process. Additionally, Johnson had developed bonds with a few players already on Penn State's roster, including fellow Canadian Jesse Luketa. "There are a lot of defensive players that Jesse had me get to know, too," Johnson said. "That's a big part of my commitment. I feel like I 6t in well with those guys." All of those factors didn't equate to an easy choice, though. Johnson received 29 o7ers from schools like Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Ohio State and Oregon. Even- tually, his decision came down to four schools: Penn State, Iowa, Michigan and Georgia. Johnson wrestled with the choice o8en, and he said there were points during his recruitment when he devoted serious thought to committing to each one of those schools. "It's been a tough road," he said. "But, in the end, I feel like this was just the best decision for me. "Honestly, even [the night before], I was still unsure of everything. I was still thinking about a lot of stu7. Fortunately, I woke up refreshed and didn't second- guess anything." With star Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth egging him on from the com- ments of Johnson's Instagram live broad- cast, the Windsor, Ontario, native became the next promising young tight end to join the Penn State ranks. Rivals.com rated him as a four-star prospect and the fourth-best tight end in the 2020 class. A8er starting the year un- ranked, he ended up as the No. 106 overall prospect in the class. Johnson said he feels like he excels with his ball skills and has always had good hands, which he pairs with the athleti- cism necessary to go up and make plays. "I've always felt con6dent that when I'm one-on-one with someone that I'm coming down with the ball," he said. Elsewhere, Johnson said, there's plenty of room for improvement – and that's what excites him. "I'm ranked really high, and that's cool. That's special to me," he said. "But I also know how much I need to improve and work on. I feel like, if people think I'm good now, imagine what I can become when I put the amount of work in that I'm planning to put in." That mindset should help Johnson in a tight end room that is full of competition. A8er the graduation of Nick Bowers, who played plenty of snaps last season as Penn State's No. 2 tight end, James Franklin said there might be an opportunity for Johnson to earn some time. "Theo was a big one for us in more ways than one – a really talented guy, 6-foot- 6, 235 pounds, can run," Franklin said. "I think we were one of the 6rst schools to o7er him. We had him in camp. We've just been able to develop a really good re- lationship, so we think he's got a really bright future." ■ A unique atmosphere enticed Johnson to sign with Penn State | V CLICK HERE to see video of Johnson in action. U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L THE JOHNSON FILE STATS Was a two-year letterman at Holy Names High and a team cap- tain during his senior season... Helped lead the Knights to the South Western Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association and overall Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations champi- onships in 2018 and '19 HONORS Named a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 4 tight end in the Class of 2020 and No. 106 overall player... Earned first-team All-City honors... Was team MVP after his jun- ior and senior seasons... Chosen to play in the Under Armour All-America Game

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