NFL Slimetime With Dylan Schefter And George Johnston IV – Exclusive Interviews

Nickelodeon’s all-new NFL half-hour weekly series, NFL Slimetime is here and we were lucky enough to talk to Dylan Schefter And George Johnston IV about the show and the NFL.

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Hosted by CBS Sports’ analyst and former NFL star Nate Burleson and Nick star Young Dylan (Dylan Gilmer, Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan), with teen sports correspondent Dylan Schefter and Lincoln Loud (The Loud House), NFL Slimetime (23 episodes) is a fun-filled weekly NFL experience for kids and families to enjoy. The series includes: Nick-ified highlights and game footage; youth football spotlights; special guest appearances by Nick stars; interviews with NFL players; and entertaining segments highlighting players and teams on and off the field. NFL Slimetime airs weekly Wednesdays at 7 p.m. (ET/PT), with episodes available to stream on Paramount+ the following day, through Feb. 16, the week of Super Bowl.

BSCKids: So how did you get the role on NFL Slimetime and what do you feel like you bring to the show?

Dylan Schefter: I got the role when I auditioned last year for Nickelodeon, and they kept my tape. Once they were looking into for a correspondent for NFL Slimetime, they thought back to me and my previous interview experiences, and I’m thankful they did. I think it’s great they wanted to give this job to a woman because other girls can look up and can see that a girl can do just as much as a boy can do. And I hope I complement the great staff, and bring extra added energy.

George Johnston IV: I had a dream of going to The Super Bowl, and my Dad said I had to work my way up, so I started my YouTube channel G4 Sports Talk and I put my hard work into that YouTube Channel to become a Super Bowl kid Sportscaster. That quickly paid off because I landed a big interview on NBC4 Washington, and then on the Kelly Clarkson Show. And then somehow Nickelodeon found me because of those interviews, and that was right before NFL Slimetime was about to start. So they said, “hey why don’t you audition?,” and I said “I’d really love to.” I kept pushing towards my goals and after a couple of interviews, I got the role.

I think I bring the brains of football….because you got Young Dylan, the cool guy; Dylan Schefter, who has the interview ideas; and Nate Burleson, who is basically the other football genius…but I feel like I bring the young football genius, who has a good perspective of the game. I love my research. I love studying football stats, and I think that’s what I bring.

Love Nate Burleson from when he was on Good Morning Football, how have you enjoyed working with him? What is your favorite Nate moment so far?

Dylan Schefter: I don’t get to go into the studio, but I met him when I was doing my final audition. He interviewed me and made sure I was OK and comfortable with everything. He was very nice to me, which made me feel very comfortable. He and Young Dylan bring great energy to our team, which is crucial for a great show like this.

George Johnston IV: He’s a great guy. He’s connected with many other teammates like Randy Moss, and other sportscasters on Good Morning Football and CBS, and now us…the kids… me, Dylan, and Young Dylan. He knows teamwork, he brings his personal experience from the NFL, and he can really connect with everyone. I love the man, he’s a really great guy to work with. I’m really inspired by how he works, and he’s got great chemistry with the whole cast.

My favorite moment was from week 2 or 3 when Nate and Young Dylan were playing a mini football game at the end of the show. It was fun to see and it shows that although sometimes he can be really serious, he can be very fun and exciting too. He has everything you need in a sportscaster. He knows his stuff, he can be serious, and he brings comedy to the show… and that is what you need.

Do you have a favorite football team and player?

Dylan Schefter: All the players I’ve interviewed on NFL Slimetime so far. They’ve been nothing but nice to me.

George Johnston IV: In the AFC, I go for the Ravens and in the NFC, I’m all about The Washington Football Team, of course. The Patriots are responsible for getting me interested in football in 2018, and I still love watching them…I’m a history nerd and their name really stuck out to me because of the revolutionary war. They have a rich history, one of my cousins actually played for them….

My favorite player is The GOAT Tom Brady. I would love to meet him anytime, but I would (really) love to meet him before retirement. He’s a 6 round pick, no one was expecting him to do anything… Then, he gets an opportunity and turns the Patriots from 5-11 the last season (when he was not starting) to a Super Bowl Championship, and that was his second season. So he can basically turn any bad team into a Super Bowl Contender, like he did with Tampa. He’s so inspiring. He was not a well-known player with a lot of talent in college and he’s come from that to a seven time Super Bowl Champion looking for eight. That’s amazing.

If you could change or add any rule to the NFL Game what would it be and why?

Dylan Schefter: The players should be allowed to pick the music that’s played in the stadiums during pre-game warmups.

George Johnston IV: That is pretty hard… I feel like the extra points in two point conversions and field goals is something I would like to change. The extra points go from the 20 yard line…. so if we could push it back like 10 yards (to the 30 yard line), I feel like that would be something the NFL fans would love. I want to push it back to make it even more difficult for the kicker and to create new opportunities to use your route runners. I think that would be great to see.

Who has been your favorite NFL player to interview and why?

Dylan Schefter: Raiders tight end Darren Waller because he offered a lot of great advice and even though I loved interviewing everyone I have, Darren was such a great guy and he seems like he would be a very good mentor.

If you had to tell us your favorite play you have seen so far this year, which one would it be and why?

George Johnston IV: That’s a pretty hard question. I’m going to have to go with (Washington Football Team) Taylor Heinicke’s deep pass to Terry McLaurin to win the game against the Falcons 23-20. That showed me that Heinecke is a worthy starter, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is going to have some competition when he comes out of rehab. It kind of looked like the helmet catch where Eli Manning almost got sacked by the Patriots. This was when the Patriots were undefeated, so they were about to be the first undefeated team since the Miami Dolphins. When Heinecke threw, instead of catching it mid-field, McLauren caught it in the end-zone. When I saw it, it reminded me of the (famous) throw because Heinecke was in trouble the same way as Manning. That’s when I knew Taylor Heinecke might just lead them to the playoffs.

Besides your own show, what is your favorite Nickelodeon show? If you could guest star on it what sort of character would you want to play?

Dylan Schefter: If I could guest star on one show, it would be Victorious. I would love to be friends with everyone on the show because they all seem like such cool people.

George Johnston IV: That’s hard because I love both Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan and The Loud House. If I could be animated, that would be amazing but if not, I am going with Young Dylan. My role would kind of be like the three amigos…me, Charlie, and Young Dylan. Sort of like the three friends in Big Nate, Nate, Francis, and Teddy… we would kind of be like them. And of course there is going to be a Big Nate Show on Nickelodeon! Since Young Dylan is trying to make Charlie cool, we would hang out and maybe do things like a pickup football game to help Charlie out, or maybe I could be a guest teammate on or a sportscaster during the pickup game.

Why should everyone be tuning in to NFL Slimetime, what does it bring to the table?

Dylan Schefter: NFL Slimetime teaches kids about football in a fun and positive way. The graphics are awesome. And there’s lots of slime!

George Johnston IV: First of all, it’s the best way for kids to learn about what’s happening in the NFL right now. Second of all, I think kids have a great opportunity to learn about the game, and maybe even play it after watching NFL Slimetime. It brings so many kids who are watching it every Wednesday together to learn about the game—hoping that they can be the next Tom Brady or the next Lamar Jackson, or the next NVP like Josh Allen. It brings a lot of young viewers to the NFL, that may actually play for the NFL. It’s got everything you want in a kids’ football show— we got the stars that tell everything, the Slimelights, the NVP, our own fantasy showdown… basically we have everything a regular football sports news show wouldn’t have. We have football covered and that’s why NFL Slimetime is the one football show you should tune into every Wednesday at 7pm.

Anything else you are working on that you want to tell us about?

Dylan Schefter: My Spanish project due tomorrow!

George Johnston IV: I’m working to keep pumping out some of my YouTube stuff on G4 Sports Talk, I’m always keeping up with the sports news. I’m trying to stay persistent with this because it’s a really hard job and I’m trying to get all the viewers happy and bring good content. I’m also trying to learn French so I can get ready for the Paris 2024 Olympics, and who knows, maybe even some more work with Nickelodeon in the future. You just have to wait and see.

Thanks to both Dylan Schefter And George Johnston IV for taking the time to speak to BSCKids!