Ole Miss defensive back Tysheem Johnson Ready to Build on Experience from Strong Freshman Season
OXFORD, Miss. – When asked about the differences from his first college snaps as a freshman last season to now, Ole Miss safety Tysheem Johnson responds as if he just told a story the listener would have a hard time understanding.
In other words, “You had to be there.”
“It’s hard to really explain because you’ve got to be out there,” Johnson said Tuesday after practice.
“But I would say it’s like from high school jumping into college; it’s a whole big difference. Like in high school, I was faster than everybody. I’m out there in college now, and everybody’s the same speed as me or even faster, so it’s like you got to really just be out there, see the tempos, offense running hurry stuff like that,” Johnson said.
“People are bigger, hitting harder, so it’s a real difference — like the speed. You’ve got to think while you’re out there too, so you just can’t be out there playing, like you’ve really got to know what you’re doing or you’re gonna get embarrassed.”
Tysheem Johnson on SEC football
Thinking is something Johnson does well. He made the Dean’s Honor Roll at Ole Miss in the spring semester of 2021.
The Philadelphia native (Pennsylvania, not Mississippi) did not “get embarrassed,” as he warned above, as a true freshman.
Quite the opposite — Johnson was named to the SEC All-Freshman team by the league office. Last season, he accounted for 47 tackles – 18 of them solo stops – while seeing action in all 13 games for the Rebels. He also had four tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, and a defended pass.
It took a few weeks to get his feet wet in the college game, but once he did, his game improved quickly.
“I want to say probably about the third game, after like the Alabama game, I started to feel like I could play here,” Johnson said of his confidence level on the field.
“…(T)he speed was slowing down in the season, like it ain’t as slowed down as it is now, but during the season it was slowing down as each game went by, seeing different opponents, different players, stuff like that,” he added.
Johnson credits simply getting the reps in practice and in games for elevating his play as a freshman.
“I would say the experience from playing in all the games, the big games, all the crowds, (watching) more film, seeing things differently,” Johnson said was the key to his improvement. “Like I’m seeing plays now that last year was like, I didn’t even know what was going on, so I just want to say the experience is probably really what helped me the most.”
That experience and improvement has another benefit – it has given Johnson a lot of confidence in not only his ability, but the talents of the players around him. Johnson believes that confidence will be on display in the 2022 season.
“I think we’re going to be great. I think we’re going to be the best secondary in the country this year.”
Tysheem Johnson
The Landsharks improved dramatically a season ago from their performance in 2020. It appears the unit is prepared to take another step forward this year.
For fans to see that improvement, well, they will just have to be there. Spring practices culminate with the annual Grove Bowl scheduled for April 23.
Hotty Toddy!
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.
He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.
A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.
Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.
He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.
Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.
