TOLEDO, Ohio — Over the last five years, Dyontae and Desjuan Johnson have become an absolute nightmare to play against for Toledo’s opponents. They have beaten up on opposing quarterbacks since they came to campus. But their bond goes so much deeper than the football field.
They may share a last name but they aren’t related by blood.
As Dyontae puts it: “Brothers from another mother, really.”
Their bond goes deeper than any government document could show. These two grew up in Detroit and have been playing together since they were kids. They stayed close through high school and they came to the University of Toledo at the same time as well.
“I almost feel like it was meant to be,” Dyontae said. “We were just meant to be in each other’s lives. Whatever he needs help with, I help him. Whatever I need help with, he helps me. We’ve been there each step of the way.”
“I’m not going through this alone, I’m going with someone I’ve known my whole life,” Desjuan said.. “It does make the process easier. But also, we’ve been pushing each other our whole lives, and that makes us both great.”
Their bond grew even more in 2020. Dyontae lost his dad due to a health complication. Incredibly, Desjuan lost his dad due to a health issue when he was just four years old.
“It wasn’t like I even had to lean on him, he came to me to make sure I was cool,” Dyontae said. “Just knowing what experience he went through when he went through that with his dad, he told me little things just to cope with it. That’s just that brotherhood really.”
“It’s a long process grieving over somebody that you’re close with,” Desjuan said. “I have to be there for him. The whole team looks at him like a leader. I had to be there to make sure his head was on straight. I know if I ever have problems, he’s got my back.”
That heartbreak of losing a father is something that can never truly be healed, but both guys have an understanding of what the other has been through.
“That was my best friend,” Dyontae said. “Everything he did, I did. Wherever he went, I went. It was rough losing that out of the blue. Hearing my mom come downstairs and tell me that, it was rough.”
“I lost my dad at a young age,” Desjuan said. “Growing up, my granddad was that male role model in my life. But at the end of the day, he wasn’t my dad. It was like I was missing a piece. Football always kept me connected with my dad. He played. He was good. He gave me the blueprint before he left and I stuck with it and built my own foundation.”
Now, these two will take another emotional step together as they play their final games in the midnight blue and gold on Tuesday night in the Boca Raton Bowl.