Former professional baseball players have been good to the Oklahoma State football program. “We’ve been very lucky with some of those pro baseball players coming back,” Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said.
All-Big 12 quarterback Brandon Weeden is the most recent example, leading the Cowboys to an 11-2 record while setting school records in passing yards, total offense, completed passes, attempted passes, completion percentage and passing touchdowns.
Linebacker Tyler Johnson could be the next former pro baseball player to become an impact performer on the Boone Pickens Stadium turf. The former Haskell standout walked on to the OSU football team last August after six seasons of minor league baseball.
“He gets hit every day so his body is a little more beat up than mine,” Weeden said. “When you are that much older it’s just different. You are communicating with guys that are younger than you and it’s not good or bad, it’s just different.”
After hitting .244 with 42 home runs and 185 runs batted in while playing in the Los Angeles Angels’ minor league system, Johnson has returned to the gridiron and has shown promise as a potential contributor at middle linebacker.
“He’s doing good,” Gundy said. “He made a couple big hits in (Wednesday’s) scrimmage.”
At 6-foot-1, 237 pounds, Johnson has brought a physicality uncommon in former baseball players. His football fundamentals have been a bit rusty due to the long layoff, but he doesn’t hesitate to hit and be aggressive when he arrives at the football.
“He’s impressed me,” Gundy said. “I’ve always had reservations about pro baseball players coming back and competing, from a toughness standpoint. He’s certainly solidified himself in that role.”
During his freshman season with the Pokes last year, Johnson was thrown into the fire early. Preseason injuries to Caleb Lavey, Kenny Alexander and Tolu Moala forced Johnson into the backup linebacker role behind Orie Lemon for the Pokes’ season opener against Washington State.
Lavey and Moala eventually returned to the field, but Johnson played a role on special teams and saw action in several of OSU’s blowout victories. He finished the season with eight tackles.
This season, Johnson is pushing to see playing time behind Lavey at middle linebacker. With a solid combination of athleticism, aggressiveness and hitting ability, Johnson’s biggest hurdle is getting familiar with the Pokes’ defense and getting into the rhythm of playing football again. “He just needs to learn college football,” Gundy said. “I would expect him to contribute on special teams next year and get 15 to 20 plays at linebacker.”