One of the Philadelphia Eagles’ best players became an offensive lineman thanks to Josh Heupel
One of the best offensive lineman in the NFL became an offensive lineman thanks to Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel. Before Heupel was the head coach in Knoxville (and before he spent time at UCF, Missouri, and Utah State), he was the Oklahoma Sooners’ offensive coordinator. During his time as an assistant coach in […]
One of the best offensive lineman in the NFL became an offensive lineman thanks to Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel.
Before Heupel was the head coach in Knoxville (and before he spent time at UCF, Missouri, and Utah State), he was the Oklahoma Sooners’ offensive coordinator.
During his time as an assistant coach in Norman, Heupel moved Lane Johnson from the defensive line to the offensive line.
That move turned out to be a brilliant one, as Johnson, who is entering his 13th season in the NFL (all with the Philadelphia Eagles), has reached six Pro Bowls while helping the Eagles win two Super Bowls.
“I went to Oklahoma as a tight end,” said Johnson recently on The Pivot. “I knew that’s what I was probably going to end up playing. Played some backup the first two years. Then they switched me halfway through my sophomore year to D-end. I was around 275/280 lbs. It was Josh Heupel, [and] Mark Mangino (who wasn’t coaching at the time) came to a practice. They converted Jamal Brown at Oklahoma from D-Tackle to O-tackle back in the early 2000s. I remember going to spring practice and I was a D-end. And then they tapped me on the shoulder and told me to do a pass set. And I did it.
“It kind of felt like basketball to me because I grew up and that’s all I played was basketball. So for me, it was something that came natural. Initially, when they asked me to do it, I was like, man, hell no. That’s the last resort. But then I knew I was going to be a backup guy at some of those other positions.”
Johnson discussed the move from the defensive line to the offensive line several years ago in an article for The Players’ Tribune.
From The Players’ Tribune: I first started playing on the offensive line during the spring going into my junior year at OU. At that point, I wasn’t hoping to reach the NFL so much as I was just hoping to keep my scholarship — because things were looking kind of bleak. I grew up playing quarterback all the way through high school. That was my football identity. I was about 6′ 6″ and 220 pounds by the time I graduated, and went to community college for a year before signing to play at Oklahoma.
My first couple of years I bounced around between tight end and defensive end without much success. It was looking like my next stop might be Division II, until one day when I was walking around the athletics facility in Norman. Josh Heupel, our offensive coordinator (and an Oklahoma football legend), stopped me. He kind of looked me up and down and asked how much I weighed. I told him 280. He promptly responded, “Holy s***!” And the next practice I got moved to offensive tackle, where I’ve been ever since.
Some of the best players in the history of the NFL switched positions in college — JJ Watt from offensive line/defensive line to tight end. Jason Witten from defensive end to tight end. Jason Kelce from linebacker to center. The list goes on.
Not every position switch works out, but Heupel’s decision to move Johnson to the offensive line was certainly the correct call.
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