Oregon Ducks fans don’t need to be reminded of how electrifying Tez Johnson was in green and yellow. After transferring from Troy, he didn’t merely arrive at Dan Lanning‘s Oregon; he became an integral piece of their fabric. His ability to appear in clutch moments made him a favorite of the fans overnight. In 2023, he had 86 catches; in 2024, he added 83 receptions for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns, while missing time with a shoulder injury. Those statistics only scratch the surface of his contribution.

What’s most impressive is the way his presence permeated every aspect of the game. Lining up wide or hiding deep on special teams, Johnson made opponents change the whole plan. Now, with him no longer here, Oregon coaches are revealing what they’ve lost and why keeping him for the future was never even a possibility.

Oregon’s special teams coordinator, Joe Lorig, didn’t dance around it in a conference. “Anytime you lose someone like Tez, it’s hard. I mean, he was, really, really a game-changing player. And not only with the plays that he made, but it’s the plays where people wouldn’t even punt to him or they would be a bad punt because the punter was his coach all week was yelling, you know, don’t punt to this guy, punt punt to the sideline or whatever.” Lorig said this week. Lorig broke down exactly why Johnson was so hard to replace, and it had as much to do with what didn’t happen on the field as what did.

Opponents punted differently when Tez was back deep. Sometimes they avoided him entirely, aiming for the sideline or sending short, awkward kicks. “That messes with those punters’ heads. So often it’s the things that don’t happen. It’s like, oh, that guy usually punts good, and he didn’t punt well against us. Uh, we call them hidden yards.” Lorig explained. Throughout a game, those small differences add up. He even crunched the numbers: if the Ducks face five punts a game, and each is seven yards shorter because of fear of Tez, that’s 35 hidden yards, the kind of advantage that rarely makes the headlines but can swing tight games.

This wasn’t just a return man doing his job. It was a mental chess game he played with every special-teams unit Oregon faced. And when you consider that the Ducks averaged over 40 points per game in 2024, every one of those hidden yards made the offense’s job even easier. Replacing that? Lorig admitted it’s not simple. Sure, the Ducks have depth, with Gary Bryant Jr., Noah Whittington, and Jayden Limar in the mix, but Johnson’s impact went beyond skill. It was fear factor, reputation, and the ripple effect on opponents’ game plans. For Ducks fans, it’s the kind of loss you feel in the flow of a game. The field suddenly seems a little longer. Drives start a little deeper. That one spark that could flip momentum in an instant, gone. And that’s why Lorig’s breakdown hit so hard.

Lanning opens up on Johnson’s future amid redshirt talk.

Then came the question: could they have used him sparingly to preserve eligibility, the classic four-game redshirt? Lorig’s response was blunt. “No. I haven’t thought about it like that… What game do we not need a punter for? … You put the very best product you can on the field for this season.” Loring said. “Yeah, because you always need them. Every single game I’ve ever been a part of that we’ve needed them. Um, no. I guess you probably could, you know, when you say it like that, but in our world, at least speaking for myself, I just don’t think like that. You just you do the very you put the very best product you can on the field for this season.” Lorig added.

You don’t stash your biggest weapon in the shed; you use it while you’ve got it. Lorig’s stance echoes the mentality that’s made Oregon a national contender: play to win now, not to save something for later. Even with the depth chart stocked, losing Tez Johnson isn’t something you plan for. And while the Ducks’ offense will still hum, Bo Nix may be gone after 2023. But the recruiting machine hasn’t slowed. You can’t just plug and play a guy who changes opponents’ strategy before the ball is even snapped.

For fans, it’s a bittersweet truth. Tez Johnson’s chapter in Eugene is closed, but it ended on Oregon’s terms, with him giving every yard, every spark, every big-play jolt he had left. And really, isn’t that exactly how you want your stars to go out?