Tez Johnson and Bo Nix relationship, explained: How former Oregon teammates became adopted brothers

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Tez Johnson and Bo Nix relationship, explained: How former Oregon teammates became adopted brothers

Andrew Katz · The Sporting News

Sun, Oct 12, 2025 ·

4 min read

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Tez Johnson and Bo Nix relationship, explained: How former Oregon teammates became adopted brothers originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

They say football is family, and in Bo Nix and Tez Johnson 's case, it really is.

Nix, drafted 12th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, had an excellent rookie season, leading the to the playoffs. Meanwhile, Johnson, his adopted brother, had just played his final season with the Oregon Ducks at the same time. In the 2025 NFL Draft, Johnson was selected by the .

Now both in the NFL, the pair have been in each other's lives since 2011 and have built a deep connection.

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Here is a look at their relationship.

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Tez Johnson and Bo Nix relationship, explained

Johnson was adopted by the Nix family in 2017, when he was 15 years old.

His father died by suicide when he was an infant, and he had a troubled home life growing up before his mother, Shamika, sent him to temporarily stay with the Nix family. At the time, Nix and Johnson were high school teammates.

Johnson was never legally adopted by Patrick and Krista Nix, but he has remained a part of the family ever since.

"It wasn't necessarily the plan for me to stay," Johnson said . "It was a plan for me to go over and stay two or three days and leave. I knew when I walked in, I didn't want to leave. They took me in from all the stuff that was happening with my bio family, and it was something they wanted to do."

Neither Nix nor Johnson started their career at Oregon. Johnson was a year younger than Nix and after the quarterback's first season with the Ducks, he said the program was receiver-poor but he had a solution.

"We needed some receivers because some guys had graduated, some guys had transferred," Nix said. "And I was like, 'I know a guy.' He got that opportunity and it was a dream come true."

Despite moving in with the Nix family when he was younger, Johnson has remained close with his biological mother.

"I've got two moms," Johnson said. "I have a stepdad and a dad, so I have two dads. And I have seven siblings. So, we're a big family. My mom is so grateful because she knew if this didn't happen, who knows where I'd be?"

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Where did Bo Nix go to college?

Nix spent his first three seasons at Auburn. He started as a freshman and the team finished 9-4. In the truncated 2020 season, Auburn went 6-4. In Nix's final year with Auburn, the Tigers went 6-7.

After going 0-3 in bowl games with Auburn, Nix transferred to Oregon. The Ducks went 10-3 and defeated North Carolina in the Holiday Bowl. The following season Nix finished as a top three Heisman finalist, posting career highs in passing yards, completion percentage, touchdowns, and passer rating. Oregon went 12-2 and won the Fiesta Bowl. Nix has the seventh-most passing yards in NCAA history.

Season	Team	Completion percentage	Yards	TDs	Int	Rate
2019	Auburn	57.6%	2,542	16	6	125.0
2020	Auburn	59.9%	2,415	12	7	123.9
2021	Auburn	61.0%	2,293	11	3	130.0
2022	Oregon	71.9%	3,593	29	7	165.7
2023	Oregon	77.4%	4,508	45	3	188.3

Where did Tez Johnson go to college?

Johnson spent his first three college seasons at Troy University. After the 2022 season, Johnson transferred to Oregon where he joined his adopted brother for a season.

In his first season with the Ducks, Johnson posted career highs across the board, displaying his unique connection with Nix. Johnson finished his college career with 310 total catches, the 16th most in NCAA history.

He was then drafted in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers.

Season	Team	Receptions	Yards	TDs
2020	Troy	18	211	0
2021	Troy	67	735	4
2022	Troy	56	863	4
2023	Oregon	86	1182	10
2024	Oregon	83	898	10

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