612 Hoops Blog

The Minnesota High School Sports Legend of the week: Tyler Johnson

Dylan Petersen

Tyler Johnson's loyalty, talent helped Minneapolis North survive and thrive
Tyler Johnson flies over a defender for the alley-oop dunk in the 2016 class 1A state championship game. (Picture provided by Star Tribune)

Tyler Johnson is one of the greatest athletes to ever come out of the city of Minneapolis. Johnson was a 2 sport superstar for the Minneapolis North Polars. He shined in football as a quarterback for the Polars. His successful play at quarterback would allow him to play division one football for his hometown Minnesota Gophers. In college he was switched to a wide receiver and that would change his career forever. Johnson would go on to play all four years for the Gophers. As a junior and senior, he was named to the all Big Ten first team and he broke multiple single season Gopher records. After an outstanding career with the Minnesota Gophers, he decided to put his name in the 2020 NFL draft. In the draft he was selected in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his rookie season he would go to make some clutch plays for the Buccaneers and he earned the trust of Tom Brady. Johnson and the Buccaneers would go onto win the Super Bowl in his rookie year in 2021. Tyler Johnson has now been in the NFL for a few years and he plays for the Los Angeles Rams now. He has solidified that he can play a key role on an NFL roster.

Tyler Johnson would not have all that success without his outstanding high school career for the Minneapolis Polars. Minneapolis North is where his career got off the ground. I am going to go over Johnson’s hall of fame like high school career for the Polars.

Football Career

Johnson was a man amongst boys during his high school football career. He started 3 years at quarterback for the Minneapolis North Polars. Johnson flat out dominated on the gridiron as a quarterback. He played just like NFL star Lamar Jackson. He could hurt you on the ground, and he also could drop dimes through the air as well. Experts would classify him as a dual-threat quarterback. He rushed for over 1,000 yards and 20 touchdowns during his senior season, and he also threw an eye opening 36 touchdowns. He also caught 3 interceptions as a defensive back, proving that he was quite the athlete. During his senior season he carried Minneapolis North all the way to the class 1A state championship just to fall short in a 35-18 loss to Minneota. Tyler Johnson was only ranked #561 in the country and #7 in Minnesota according to 247 Sports.com. He had offers from big time schools like Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State, and Wisconsin. Tyler Johnson was very underrated as a football prospect due to the small town competition that he played. His rankings never got to his head though and he always knew that he would make the North Minneapolis community proud one day.

Here is a link for Tyler Johnson’s senior season highlights provided by Hudl: Tyler Johnson Football Highlights

Basketball Career

Tyler Johnson could flat out fly to the rim as a high school basketball players. Johnson was known for throwing down highlight dunks and eye popping alley-oop dunks. The 6’3 combo guard put all his athleticism on display while playing basketball. His amazing athleticism allowed him to be a great defender and rebounder. As a guard he averaged 6 rebounds per game, which is pretty rare to see. Johnson’s instincts also allowed him to read the defense and get steals left and right. He could also score in a variety of ways as he averaged 17 points per game during his senior season. Johnson would go on to help Minneapolis North win the class 1A state title during his senior season. In that game Minneapolis North defeated Goodhue 68-45. Tyler Johnson had an amazing basketball high school career and some believe he could have played division one basketball as well. He was the #5 ranked player in Minnesota and he earned an offer from North Dakota State according to 247 Sports.com.

Here is a clip of Tyler Johnson throwing down an alley-oop dunk. (Provided by Fox 9)

Tyler Johnson will go down as on one of the best football players to come out of the state of Minnesota from this decade. He always represents the Minneapolis North community and he never forgets where he came from. He put on a show during his high school football and basketball career. He made the right decision playing football because that was his top sport. However, most people could not accomplish what Johnson accomplished while he was a basketball player. Tyler Johnson changed the culture around at North high school and I would classify him as the G.O.A.T of Minneapolis North sports.