Bucky Irving Recalls How Much Tez Johnson Wanted To Be Drafted By The Bucs
May 9th, 2025
Cool Tez Johnson stories.
A dream may come true if you work for it.
That was the underlying story from Bucs running back Bucky Irving. Yesterday, just a few days after coaching one of Oregon’s teams in its spring game, Bucky appeared on “Up and Adams” hosted by the one and only Kay Adams.
Adams began asking Bucky about his good friend, both old and new teammate Tez Johnson, a receiver/returner.
When Johnson transferred to Oregon from Troy, he roomed with Bucky. There, Bucky said, Johnson kept telling Bucky how good he was. Bucky finally got tired of hearing about it and told Johnson his actions on the field better match his piehole.
They did.
Bucky was already established. Johnson proved himself. And the two became tight.
Despite Johnson proving himself, that didn’t slow his roll off the field. When the Bucs drafted Bucky, Johnson watched every Bucs game. And to hear Bucky talk, it almost sounded as if Johnson was jealous of Bucky being in Tampa.
The two would hit each other up after Bucs games, Bucky said. Johnson would tell him how much he wanted to play for the Bucs. Bucky told him to keep grinding and making plays and maybe that dream could come true.
Last month, the Bucs drafted Johnson in the seventh round.
You can see Bucky talk to Adams about Johnson in the FanDuelTV video below. Joe thinks it’s so cool that a guy who openly hoped he could play for the Bucs was actually drafted by the team.
A little extra incentive for Johnson to max out his skills here?
Did Tez Johnson manifest being drafted by the Buccaneers to play with his former teammate Bucky Irving??@heykayadams | @BuckyIrving | @Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/HDsiaeKkef
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) May 8, 2025
May 9th, 2025 at 7:06 am
Whats up with Kays Bill Cosby face
May 9th, 2025 at 7:09 am
Tex is going to put butts in seats. Love it.
May 9th, 2025 at 7:10 am
Tez
May 9th, 2025 at 7:10 am
Colonel. I thought the same thing…. my comment disappeared in Joe’s dungeon.
May 9th, 2025 at 7:52 am
@Colonel, 🤣
May 9th, 2025 at 8:18 am
Tez needs to eat with lineman put some meat on them bones
May 9th, 2025 at 8:38 am
Excited for the offense this year. Keep on being a MFer, and hopefully we can continue to run the ball like last year.
I hope we can get some packages for Tez, and if he’s in man, put him in motion and let him make the first guy miss.
May 9th, 2025 at 8:55 am
What a great underdog story to follow in the upcoming weeks. I’ll be cheering for him. Nothing better than a player with a chip on his shoulder playing exactly where he wants to be playing.
May 9th, 2025 at 9:04 am
I would guess he’s in competition for Trey Palmer’s spot.
May 9th, 2025 at 9:05 am
Excited about Tez and Bucky! Mike, Chris, Baker, and others will wrap their arms around Tez and guide him too. All sounds positive!
May 9th, 2025 at 9:26 am
The fact that he wants to play here says everything.
He’ll be more motivated to work his tail off. He benefits. The team benefits.
And that’s a win-win situation for everyone.
Looking forward to seeing what he can do for us this season!
May 9th, 2025 at 9:28 am
Both are specialty players… bless Bucky’s heart but he didn’t respect being to get his carries until the second half of the season and he took a beating.
Tez is only a few plays a game type of player.
Sorry to burst your bubbles
May 9th, 2025 at 9:55 am
I think Bucky can handle the load. But I hear the concerns based on size.
May 9th, 2025 at 10:16 am
I don’t post on here much but SB-LV just said Bucky is a specialty player and that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen posted on this board. Just wanted to give you your props for bring a clown.
May 9th, 2025 at 10:26 am
He’s 150 LBS soaking wet. Those types don’t typically hold up in the NFL.
Licht always has to draft that WR that is too small for the pro level.
I hope he proves me wrong and can be great.
We’ll need him to score lots of TD’s to cover up that smell coming from the rotten Swiss Cheese pass defense.
May 9th, 2025 at 10:29 am
Peace be with you.
The kid is a 7th rounder, so he’s facing an uphill battle, and the position is deep.
His best hope this year is Practice Squad.
That way injuries will give him opportunities to prove himself.
May 9th, 2025 at 10:31 am
If he can play on Special Teams it might help him get playing time.
May 9th, 2025 at 11:17 am
TBBF is so distracted by Kay Adams he can’t pay attention to the guest …whoever they are….
Anyone else with that problem?
May 9th, 2025 at 11:27 am
Rod Stewart… Bucky doesn’t have the frame to be the kind of RB you think he is or can be. He better be a rotational running back or he will be a broken running back. You will see and learn the hard way, not having him at the end of the season when he is needed to most .
May 9th, 2025 at 11:28 am
Tez is a low risk high reward pick.
He does an excellent job of getting down quickly and avoiding contact.
There are a few quick hitters that will be run with him.
Also a sudden deep threat. He is more quick than fast which is fine.
I honestly think this kid can carve out a niche like Devonta Smith.
May 9th, 2025 at 11:37 am
@TB#1
just comment on the kid and wait for the season you troll I put money on the defense being top 7 by the end of the year I want to say 5 but I’m a realist we would have been that last year but injuries took a big dump on the team we wud have benched Britt by the game 7 and and if healthy I didn’t see a team beating besides Denver’s slaughter of us but other than that we would have be flying high
May 9th, 2025 at 11:38 am
Warrick Dunn weighed 180..
May 9th, 2025 at 11:51 am
El hefe Says:
“I put money on the defense being top 7 by the end of the year I want to say 5 but I’m a realist”
Anyone thinking Bowles is capable of turning HIS defensive mess around does not qualify as a realist.
“I realized that you have to score more points than the other team to win” – Todd Bowles
Pure genius is what that is.
May 9th, 2025 at 11:51 am
I really hope he is a dynamic returner then he can get his shot at WR #6 or 7. His size is a major issue. He needs to at least get to the 170’s
May 9th, 2025 at 11:56 am
He won’t gain or retain much weight coming from the PNW, to the sauna that is Tampa.
May 9th, 2025 at 12:01 pm
TBBF…Kay had a guest???
May 9th, 2025 at 12:18 pm
Tez is essentially battling Shepard and Johnson. Kameron Johnson is on notice. He missed a bunch of time last year, happens this year and he is toast. Tez will take the job and run.
May 9th, 2025 at 12:22 pm
equivalent of Braves signing Ozzie Albies for a million years to keep best friend and soulmate Ronald Acuna happy for just as many? very interesting theory
May 9th, 2025 at 12:56 pm
Our new Karl “the truth” Williams?
Go Bucs!!
May 9th, 2025 at 1:47 pm
Karl Williams only weighed about 170 himself guys. He was the best punt returner in team history, and his 40 time was also mediocre. He made a few decent plays for the offense back then too. The offense sucked compared to the version were currently fielding. If Baker wants to, he can make this kid a star.
May 9th, 2025 at 2:43 pm
That’s a great story.
Also, pointed this out before, but anyone talking about Johnson’s 40 time, don’t worry about it. The guy hit 22.3mph during a play last year, in the NFL that would have been one of the top 5 fastest plays in 2024. No idea why he tested poorly, but all you got to do is watch the tape, and the guy is running away from safeties and corners, even ones from top schools. The more I read about him, and the more I watch his highlights, the more I think he’s going to be a weapon for the Bucs. Keep in mind that while he’s very slight, he’s also listed at 5′ 10″, which is unusually tall for someone that skinny – and it shows on tape since he doesn’t look that small once he’s added all the football armor. If the Bucs are somewhat creative about how to get him the ball, and don’t just line him up on the line where he can get jammed, I think he’s going to have some highlight plays.
May 9th, 2025 at 3:22 pm
Problem is, the little feller runs his yap too much. It’s more likely he reminds us of App State Dexter Jackson, or Jaelen Darden, than Peanut Smith.
May 9th, 2025 at 3:30 pm
@El here
I agree our D will be much improved with more talent and depth.
I can see us top 7 or top 5 easy. Will need some good luck on the injury front (esp ILB) but our issues aren’t a mystery and Todd and his assistants will field a much better D now that we have more talent.
Safety play should improve with AWJ returning to form and Tykee back with him.
We now, hopefully, have 4 starting caliber corners.
____________________________________
What’s not to like about Tez?
Grizz will find ways to use him.