Dominic Johnson

Senior wide receiver for Buffalo. 2021: 34 catches, 457 receiving yards, 2 TD.

WR · Buffalo · Sr. · #9

6′5″ · 220 lb · Windsor, ON

CFB Index 45 · #242 of 468 WRsHigh confidenceBuffalo 2021 alumnus

The story

4 wide receiver for Buffalo. 2021: 34 catches, 457 receiving yards, 2 TD.

The record fills in as he plays.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Buffalo, 542 receiving yards — his college career is complete.

His career

He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.

The week the volume broke through — put up 96 yds vs Bowling Green.Bowling Green · L 44-562021

Career arc

Recruit

—

No recruit profile

CFB

College

Buffalo

2018–2021

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Coaching lineage · 2018–2021

2 coaches

2018–2020

Lance Leipold

Buffalo

2021

Maurice Linguist

Buffalo

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Lance Leipold → Maurice Linguist. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2021 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2018Buffalo10-4HC: Lance Leipold · Run-leaning

2019Buffalo8-5HC: Lance Leipold · Run-heavy

2020Buffalo6-1HC: Lance Leipold · Run-heavy, fast tempo

2021Buffalo4-8HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-leaning

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

45Rotational starter #242 of 468?

High confidence10 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: explosive rate (14th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Yards / catch#234 / 655 · 64th pct

13.7

EPA / target#353 / 655 · 46th pct

0.61

TD rate#451 / 655 · 31st pct

3.9%

Catch rate#556 / 655 · 15th pct

62.7%

Explosive rate#562 / 655 · 14th pct

5.9%

Box-score rates (5)

Long catch#190 / 557 · 65th pct

Receptions#220 / 557 · 60th pct

Rec yards#237 / 557 · 57th pct

457

Yards / catch#263 / 557 · 52nd pct

13.4

Rec TDs#278 / 557 · 42nd pct

Season trend

EPA / target— 2020 cohort too thin to compare (n=17)

Explosive rate— 2020 cohort too thin to compare (n=17)

Catch rate— 2020 cohort too thin to compare (n=17)

TD rate— 2020 cohort too thin to compare (n=17)

Yards / catch— 2020 cohort too thin to compare (n=17)

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2021 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home6g	2.8	38.5	12.0	0.2
Road6g	2.8	37.7	13.5	0.2

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	2.7	29.7	10.7	0.0
Weeks 8+5g	3.0	49.8	15.6	0.4

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Pete Lembo

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2021

Rotational

Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

45 · #242 of 468 WRs

Career stats

Season	Team
2021	Buffalo	34	457	13.4	2	--
2020	Buffalo	5	43	8.6	0	--
2019	Buffalo	5	42	8.4	1	--
2018	Buffalo	--	--	--	--	--
Career		44	542	12.3	3	--

Season	Team
2021	Buffalo	--	--	--	--	--
2020	Buffalo	--	--	--	--	--
2019	Buffalo	--	--	--	--	--
2018	Buffalo	1	1	--	--	--
Career		1	1	--	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2021

W 69–7

vs Wagner

2 rec · 19 yds

Dominant 62-point win at home against Wagner.

With K. Vantrease — 231 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 88.5 · 4 rush yds (1 car) · R. Cook Jr. — 94 rush yds (14 car) · 1 TD

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 11 · Miami (OH) · 3&4 · Q2 · EPA +3.42Kyle Vantrease pass complete to Dominic Johnson for 48 yds to the MiaOh 10 for a 1ST down
Week 6 · Kent State · 4&2 · Q4 · EPA +3.17Kyle Vantrease pass complete to Dominic Johnson for 17 yds to the KntSt 35 for a 1ST down
Week 12 · Northern Illinois · 4&8 · Q4 · EPA +3.05Matt Myers pass complete to Dominic Johnson for 14 yds to the Buff 47 for a 1ST down
Week 3 · Coastal Carolina · 3&7 · Q1 · EPA +2.86Kyle Vantrease pass complete to Dominic Johnson for 18 yds to the Buff 48 for a 1ST down
Week 2 · Nebraska · 3&7 · Q1 · EPA +2.54Kyle Vantrease pass complete to Dominic Johnson for 10 yds to the Buff 49 for a 1ST down
Week 5 · Western Michigan · 3&4 · Q3 · EPA +1.97Kyle Vantrease pass complete to Dominic Johnson for 7 yds to the Buff 46 for a 1ST down
Week 3 · Coastal Carolina · 3&8 · Q3 · EPA +1.73Kyle Vantrease pass complete to Dominic Johnson for 11 yds to the CCaro 25 for a 1ST down
Week 9 · Bowling Green · 1&4 · Q4 · EPA +1.69Dominic Johnson 4 Yd pass from Matt Myers (Alex McNulty Kick)
Week 1 · Wagner · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +1.38K.Vantrease pass complete to BUF 33. Catch made by D.Johnson at BUF 33. Gain of 9 yards. Pushed out of bounds by K.Jones at BUF 42.
Week 3 · Coastal Carolina · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +1.36Kyle Vantrease pass complete to Dominic Johnson for 16 yds to the Buff 39 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2021 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 69-7vs Wagner	2	19	9.5	0	10
Wk 2	L 3-28@ Nebraska	3	35	11.7	0	13
Wk 3	L 25-28vs Coastal Carolina	6	66	11.0	0	18
Wk 4	W 35-34@ Old Dominion	4	38	9.5	0	14
Wk 5	L 17-24vs Western Michigan	1	7	7.0	0	7
Wk 6	L 38-48@ Kent State	2	34	17.0	0	17
Wk 7	W 27-26vs Ohio	1	9	9.0	0	9
Wk 8	W 45-10@ Akron	3	42	14.0	1	22
Wk 9	L 44-56vs Bowling Green	4	96	24.0	1	57	Season-high 96 yds
Wk 11	L 18-45@ Miami (OH)	3	58	19.3	0	48
Wk 12	L 27-33vs Northern Illinois	3	34	11.3	0	14
Wk 13	L 3-20@ Ball State	2	19	9.5	0	14
Total		34	457	12.7	2	57

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Dominic Johnson

2021 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Rotational

Career stats

Signature game

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Possession Receiver

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