Batman Feels He Needs To Tone Down His Act At UW

The player nicknamed after a super hero has never been afraid to mix it up on the field.

Rylon Dillard-Allen lets out a scream during the Ohio State game. | Dave Sizer photo

Rylon Dillard-Allen is concerned about his image.

Yes, he answers to "Batman," a nickname he has had on and off since he was 6 or 7, given to him by a track coach.

And, yes, he used to run out for his high school football games in Arizona wearing a cape and a mask.

However, the University of Washington freshman safety, who also answers to the more succinct RDA, thinks he needs to tone down some of his super hero act.

He can still maintain the football peace in Gotham, uh, make that Montlake, without throwing the punches that have followed him from the practice field to most recently game day.

No one questions his toughness, however Dillard-Allen himself acknowledges he could better channel his reputation as a take-no-prisoners fighter.

"I don't want to be seen as that," he said. "All that is just selfishness and undisciplined activities. And stuff like all the skirmishes in the spring, I'm not proud of it. I'm not proud of the flag I got against Illinois. That's just stuff I've got to work on. I've got to keep the toughness in between the whistle."

Rylon Dillard-Allen presents a Batman image on an Arizona recruiting trip. | Arizona

The Huskies don't want to tone him down too much. They view Dillard-Allen, who has played in all eight games and started against Michigan, as a star in the making.

With all of his possibilities, the coaching staff likely would let him drive out of the tunnel in a Batmobile or leap off the upper deck with wings fully extended and float to a midfield landing if it would help him perform.

"Talk about a guy who seeks out contact and is not afraid to pull the trigger," UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters marveled.

Walters has seen this kind of player before up close. When he was the DC at Illinois, he coached coached cornerback Devon Witherspoon, now with the Seattle Seahawks, who is celebrated for playing the game with a decided edge.

Dillard-Allen is similar in approach, the coach confirms, to the cross-town NFL defensive back.

"He's got a confidence to do that," Walters said. "That's what you want in everybody on defense. Spoon definitely had that in him since the day I stepped on campus at Illinois. It definitely bodes well for [Dillard-Allen] and his mental makeup that will allow him to be a great player here."

Rylon Dillard-Allen lines up in the Apple Cup against Washington State. | Dave Sizer photo

While Dillard-Allen is working on his self control unsolicited -- he drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for popping an Illinois player in the facemask a couple of times on the opening kickoff -- his coaches simply want him to spend the coming winter in the weight room.

They tell the Phoenix product, who currently measures 6 feet and 180 pounds, all he's lacking is pro size.

The player named "Batman" looks for someone to hit in the UW-Ohio State game. | Dave Sizer photo

"Coach Walters talks to me all the time, about the abilities I'm blessed with, like the speed and physicality," Dillard-Allen said. "He just keep telling me to keep building my body and I can do what I want to do."

In the end, it's all super hero stuff that should lead to a reputation the young safety and the guy known as Batman feels better suits him.

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