Tyler Johnson is a coveted two-sport athlete.
Tyler Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 179-pound rising senior from Minneapolis (MN) North, is one of the state’s top two-sport athletes. Johnson led Minneapolis North to a 12-1 record on the gridiron, losing to Dawson-Boyd in the Class A semifinals. He led the team in rushing and passing.
Johnson has landed scholarship offers from Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota in football and North Dakota State for basketball.
Gopher Hole recently caught up Johnson at the Bracket Buster in Maple Grove to learn the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: You had a very busy July, playing in a lot of AAU tournaments. How do you think that the summer went?
Tyler Johnson: I felt that the summer went pretty good. We won a lot of games and played a lot of good competition, so I felt, for our part, it went pretty good.
Gopher Hole: You are going to be making the transition to football pretty soon. Have you had a chance to do much with your North teammates at all?
Tyler Johnson: Yes, I did a little bit with football, doing some summer workouts. I haven’t done much because I have been busy with basketball
Gopher Hole: Did you even get a chance to go to any football camps?
Tyler Johnson: I have been to one. That was Notre Dame
Gopher Hole: How did you think that you did there?
Tyler Johnson: I felt that I played pretty good there. I stood out. That is what I felt that I went out there to do.
Gopher Hole: How many football offers are you up to right now?
Tyler Johnson: I have four. Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Iowa State.
Gopher Hole: I know that you get asked this a lot, but are you still thinking about football versus basketball?
Tyler Johnson: Yes. I am still thinking. I haven’t made my decision, so those offers are still out there.
Gopher Hole: What offers do you have for basketball? Just North Dakota State?
Tyler Johnson: Yes. That is it right now.
Gopher Hole: Are you starting to hear from more schools about basketball after playing well this past July?
Tyler Johnson: I feel that I have a few, but I’m not sure what my AAU coach has heard.
Gopher Hole: Minnesota has made a commitment in getting a lot of the in-state football kids to stay home. You are one of the few Minnesota kids that they have offered who hasn’t decided yet. Have some of the other commits, who have become a close knit group, talked to you?
Tyler Johnson: Yes. They still keep in touch. They talk to me a lot, especially through Twitter. They just keep in touch with me and tell me to stay home with them and go out and win a Big Ten Championship.
Gopher Hole: Does that make it even more appealing that other kids from the state are staying here? Is that something that appeals to you even more?
Tyler Johnson: Yes. You know, I feel that it is pretty cool because in other states, many kids leave their state. I feel that is pretty cool.
Gopher Hole: The Gophers had one of their better seasons last year. Does that get you more excited about the program, too?
Tyler Johnson: Yes. It gives me something to look at. I feel that I look at the Gophers and I see that they can win and that is a pretty positive thing.
Gopher Hole: North had a very good season last year, coming up just a little bit short of getting to the state tournament in basketball. What things do you have to do to get even further this year?
Tyler Johnson: We just have to take it day by day. We can’t look ahead at anything. We just have to go out and play strong.
Gopher Hole: How about for football? You had a very good year in that sport as well.
Tyler Johnson: I feel like the same thing as in basketball. We just have to come out positive and take it day by day and just come out very strong. We have big goals and a big target on our back.
Gopher Hole: Do you lose a lot of guys for football?
Tyler Johnson: We just lost a few seniors and that is about it.
Gopher Hole: How does your role change, if at all, this season?
Tyler Johnson: We are just trying to find someone who can be just like him (Josh Cunningham, the team’s second leading rusher). We are still searching for it. We have got practice in a few weeks and we’ll see who can take his role.
Gopher Hole: Have you even thought about when you are going to try to decide on a school or do you need to decide on a sport first?
Tyler Johnson: I feel that I need to decide on a sport first.
Gopher Hole: Have you made any plans to go to any college football games this fall yet?
Tyler Johnson: You know, I haven’t talked to my dad about it, but I’m sure that we’ll come up with it pretty soon.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to maybe have the chance to play for the home state school?
Tyler Johnson: I know that for a lot of people, it would mean a lot. They are expecting that from me and they want big things out of me. That would be pretty cool if they are all going to come to my games, too.