‘One year, one shot.’ Tyreek Johnson eyes big final season for Gamecocks
Tyreek Johnson has the attention of the South Carolina football coaching staff this spring and summer.
Johnson, the former Lakewood High standout, battled through his share of his injuries early in his career, but he’s expected to have a bigger role as a super senior in 2023 for the Gamecocks’ defense at one of the defensive end spots.
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer singled Johnson out during his press conference Thursday at the school’s on-campus media day. Johnson worked with the first-team defense Friday in the practice portion open to the media. He was wearing a blue jersey, which means he was limited in contact.
“Tyreek Johnson has had an awesome summer,” Beamer said. “Tyreek can be a really, really good player for us. He already is, but he can be a really impactful guy for us. I am excited to see Tyreek continue to progress.”
It’s been slow progression for Johnson, who is one of the dozen or so holdovers from former coach Will Muschamp’s recruiting classes. He reflected on that journey and the sense of urgency he plans to play with this season, being his sixth and final season for the Gamecocks.
“I’ve got one year, one shot. I’ve got to do what I can to go out there, perform and make it count,” Johnson said Thursday. “Trying to be the best shape I can be. I am expected to play a lot of reps this year. The best thing that will probably help me to make plays is be in the best shape I can be.
“... We don’t have a lot of depth and coaches need someone to step up, and I think it needs to be me.”
Johnson played in three games over his first four years with the Gamecocks, missing two full seasons with knee and shoulder injuries. He tore his labrum during his senior season at Lakewood and then an ACL in the spring of 2018.
The next year, Johnson had a subluxed kneecap, a partial dislocation of the knee that forced him to miss most of the 2019 and all of the 2020 seasons.
Johnson made it through the 2022 season injury-free and appeared in all 12 games, recording 10 tackles.
“It didn’t turn out like I wanted to in the beginning years,” Johnson said. “... But last year, it lets me know that I can play in this league. It builds on my confidence and shows the coaches that they can depend on me to do my job and what I have to do.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2023 at 8:00 AM.
