Huskies Offer Mississippi State RB Who Had Parting Dig for Leach
Dillon Johnson, a Mississippi State running back who memorably took a parting shot this week at coach Mike Leach while entering the transfer portal, on Friday received offers from a handful of schools including the University of Washington.
The 6-foot, 215-pound junior tailback apparently heard a recording leaked publicly of Leach denigrating his playing approach once the coach learned he was exiting the SEC program and Johnson cited it in his farewell Twitter post.
“With that being said, since I am not very tough, and Leach is glad I’m leaving, I will be entering my name into the transfer portal with the hopes of finding a more fit playing environment for me,” he said.
Johnson certainly was tough enough to start 20 of the 36 Mississippi State games he played over three seasons, including six for Leach's most recent 8-4 team. He passed up the ReliaQuest Bowl, formerly the OutBack Bowl, which is a Jan. 2 matchup against Illinois in Tampa, Florida, to put his name in the portal.
With two years of eligibility remaining, he also holds offers from Syracuse and Louisville.
In Mississippi State's spread offense, Johnson rushed 229 times for 1,198 yards and 11 touchdowns, and caught 149 passes for 864 yards and another score in his career for the SEC team, with his offensive versatility making him an ideal back for Kalen DeBoer's pass-first attack.
Dillon Johnson exited Mississippi State, hearing coach Mike Leach question his toughness.
USA TODAY Sports
In the audio recording attached below, Leach was heard criticizing the player with the following comment, "Dillon Johnson is leaving. I'm actually sort of glad because I don't think he's very tough."
Leach has never been shy about insulting anyone in a public setting, once calling now retired Spokane Spokesman-Review columnist John Blanchette "a sanctimonious troll" because he didn't like a question during a postgame news conference at Husky Stadium following the 2019 Apple Cup.
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Blanchette, a witty but not necessarily a confrontational writer, asked Leach why he and his Washington State team had lost 31-13 to the Huskies that day with all of the talent he had accumulated.
"You run your little column and stuff like some sanctimonious troll, where you’ve never been fair or even-handed with us, so I really don’t care what you think," Leach said indignantly. "OK, go ahead, because you’re going to write some really nasty stuff like you always do. ... If you can live your little meager life in your hole and write nasty things and that makes you feel even, you go right ahead.”
This past season, Johnson ran 89 times for 488 yards and 4 scores for Mississippi State, and he caught 48 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown. He had a career-best 65 receptions for 422 yards in 2021.
In his top rushing outing for the Bulldogs, he carried 16 times for 89 yards and 2 scores this season in a 40-17 victory over Arkansas in Starkville, Mississippi.
Johnson is the third known player in the transfer portal to receive a UW scholarship offer, joining Cal Poly redshirt freshman tight end Josh Cuevas and Wake Forest sophomore cornerback Gavin Holmes.
The Husky coaching staff appears to be seeking a veteran running back to replace Wayne Taulapapa, the Virginia transfer who currently leads the UW team in rushing with 779 yards and has scored 10 TDs heading into the Alamo Bowl, and has 21 receptions for 208 yards and another score.
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