Antonio Johnson has become one of Michigan State’s most unusual offensive weapons.
Officially, the redshirt freshman is the Spartans’ backup left tackle, a 6-foot-5, 287-pound lineman wearing No. 54. But when MSU wants a little extra muscle in its offense, Johnson flips into a different job entirely, putting on No. 80 and lining up as a jumbo tight end for a few snaps at a time.
Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic says the move fits Johnson’s personality as much as it fits the playbook.
"He's loving it," quarterback Alessio Milivojevic said of Johnson. "You see a smile on his face literally every single day. Tone brings the same positivity, same energy every day, and he's loving his current role."
Johnson has already shown up in that package in each of MSU’s first three games, logging five snaps, then 11, then five. It’s not a full-time switch, but it is clearly part of the Spartans’ plan. Coordinator Nick Sheridan hasn’t put a name on the role, but he hasn’t treated it like a one-off, either.
The job description is a little different from what most linemen sign up for. Instead of banging head-to-head with defensive linemen over and over, Johnson is often asked to block linebackers and defensive backs in space, double-team a defender with another lineman or move around before the snap to create new angles. He’s even been part of a package that could have sent him out for a pass.
That possibility nearly became reality at Notre Dame last week. On first-and-10 from the Notre Dame 21, with Michigan State trailing 10-0, the Spartans lined up in an unbalanced look with Johnson set as an eligible tight end on the left edge.
He released upfield with the rest of the eligible receivers, but Milivojevic decided the coverage was too tight and went elsewhere with the ball. The play ended with backup quarterback Cam Fancher, lined up at receiver, dropping the pass.
"He was disappointed, for sure, but he was happy I didn't throw it to him," Milivojevic said. "The safety was creeping.
He was looking at him, flat-footed. I'm happy I didn't throw it and get him killed.
He was happy I didn't throw it to him, either. But obviously he wanted it to be open, he wanted to get the ball.
"There'll be more opportunities."
So how did Michigan State figure out Johnson had enough hands for that kind of wrinkle in the first place? Milivojevic pointed to summer work.
"Just over the summer, linemen want to do one-on-ones, too," Milivojevic said with a smile. "You never know. You see a guy go up and one-hand a ball over a teammate or something like that, and, OK, this guy can catch, maybe we'll put a package in for him."
Johnson’s athletic profile helped make him a fit for the idea. Sheridan said his quick feet, long arms and leaner build for his size made him a natural candidate for the role. It also says something about how the staff views him as a developing offensive lineman they expect to keep growing into a more traditional spot.
"He just is doing well," Sheridan said of Johnson, who was named MSU's offensive scout team player of the week three times last fall under former head coach Jonathan Smith's staff. "He's a young, developing offensive lineman.
He's getting better every day, and so we try to find roles for guys. Yeah, he's coming along.
"… Any time you're using extra O-linemen in different roles or packages, it's a combination of depth at the position and also skill set for the player. We're just continually trying to find that balance there. He's done a nice job."
His teammates seem to be enjoying the experiment, too. Center Trent Fraley said nobody in the offensive line room is looking at Johnson’s extra role with jealousy.
"Nah, I think honestly, we're just all happy for him," Fraley said. "He's still a young player and he's really creating a role for himself.
"… He's definitely having fun."
Milivojevic said Johnson’s versatility matters even more after MSU lost six of its top seven receptions leaders from 2025, leaving the quarterback to work with a new cast this season. Johnson isn’t the kind of receiver anyone would have expected to be in that group, but he’s giving the Spartans something different.
"(Johnson is) a big, athletic guy. He's earned his role," Milivojevic said. "… So I think just having him in there, whether it's to run a route, block, maybe get a handoff - you never know - I think it's gave another versatility part of our offense that's just gonna continue to help us give different looks to defenses."
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