Tez Johnson says it was Bucky Irving’s mom. Irving says it was God. In the end, it was Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht who reunited the former Oregon roommates in the NFL by drafting Johnson on April 26.

“His mom, or our mom, because I call her mom, too, so she always, like, spoke it into existence,” Johnson said at the Buccaneers’ rookie minicamp on Friday. “Like, ‘Son, when you come to Tampa Bay next year, like, we got to cook for you.’ And Bucky was always just like, ‘Mom, stop saying that.’ And she was just like, ‘It’s going to happen.’ And then when it happened, she was like the second person that called me, said, ‘I told you.’ It was — I don’t know. It just feels surreal.”

A former Pinson Valley High School and Troy standout, Johnson transferred from the Trojans to Oregon in 2023. After running for 1,180 yards and 11 touchdowns that season, Irving left the Ducks for Tampa Bay in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He ran for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns for the Bucs as a rookie.

“When Tez had transferred from Troy, me and him ended up being roommates,” Irving said during a Thursday appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Up and Adams.” “It took us a pretty good time to jell because he used to try to come in the house and just talk about how good he was at Troy, and I used to tell him, ‘Yo, I don’t want to hear that. You got to show me when you get out here on the field.’ And he pretty much showed me that he got it. …

“Tez used to always say, like, when he’d be watching my games or anything like that, he’d be like, ‘Bro, I want to come down there with you to Tampa.’ He used to just say it like every time we got on the phone. I’m like, ‘Bro, just put your head down and work, and God’s going to take care of everything.’ And it happened. I guess he got what he wanted.”

Now that he has started work with the Buccaneers at rookie minicamp, Johnson said Tampa Bay feels “like home. Like, I feel like I’m going to be here for the rest of my life. So, I mean, I enjoyed it. I seen Bucky today. And he’s still short. But I’m excited. I can’t wait.”

But it took Johnson a while to get to the Bucs in the draft. After catching 169 passes for 2,080 yards and 20 touchdowns and returning 33 punts for a 10.5-yard average and one touchdown in two seasons at Oregon, the wide receiver was the 235th of the 257 selections in the 2025 NFL Draft.

“What took you so long, bro?” Johnson asked Licht when the GM called to give him the draft news.

“Well, we didn’t have a pick in the sixth (round),” Licht said. “That’s what took us so long.”

Already facing doubters because of his weight and 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine – 154 pounds and 4.51 seconds – Johnson got another jolt of motivation from his final-round draft status.

“It definitely puts some more, like, just fire and another chip on my shoulder,” Johnson said. “I’m thankful for this opportunity because you only get it once. And I just think of one thing that my brother said, he just told me, ‘It’s never been easy for you in your entire life. Why should it be easy now during the draft?’ It kind of put me in a state of mind like, ‘OK, you’re right.’

“But when I got the call, I was just like, ‘All right.’ I was happy, relieved. I didn’t cry. I was just like, ‘Oh, thank you.’ The call came in, but now it just put another chip on my shoulder showing you guys, like, I’m a steal basically.”

Johnson has his sights set on becoming Tampa Bay’s punt returner while learning from the Bucs’ pair of 1,000-yard wide receivers.

“Mike Evans followed me on Instagram,” Johnson said. “I kind of, like, got starstruck. I was like, ‘Oh, Mike Evans!’ Like, you know what I’m saying? But I can’t wait to get in here to learn from those guys, especially Mike. Chris Godwin’s been in the league for a minute. So it’s always a great opportunity to learn from those guys. You know, I can’t wait.”

But Johnson does have one quibble after arriving at his preferred NFL destination – his rookie minicamp roommate.

“I got the LSU guy,” Johnson said. “Yeah, Josh (Williams). I’m rooming with him right now. He can’t even sleep with the TV off, bro. I’m sitting there like, ‘Bro, I got to put the pillow over my head now. I can’t breathe.’ Nah, he’s good. He’s cool.”

Johnson said he had a lot he wanted to show at rookie minicamp.

“Confidence. Being poised,” Johnson said. “Making explosive plays as my normal self. Being that leader early to the rookie guys. Creating a good bond with the guys that I know will be out here in the minicamp. And just helping guys. Not just being selfish to myself and want to know the plays for myself. Just helping others.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.