The Sales Pitch That Brought Dillon Johnson to the Huskies
Lee Marks was out recruiting, driving down a lonesome highway late at night — though he wouldn't divulge exactly where — when he spoke for the first time to running back Dillon Johnson, newly entered in the transfer portal from Mississippi State.
Their conversation lasted 20-30 minutes. An initial connection was made.
Marks, the University of Washington running-backs coach and involved with one of the college football's most prolific offenses, had a convincing sales pitch all ready to go, explaining in large part how Montlake was very welcoming to Southern players.
"The biggest thing is we had [Michael] Penix from Florida [and] we had Wayne [Taulapapa], who's obviously from Hawaii but came from Virginia, so we've had guys who are not from the West Coast that ended up doing really, really well for us this year," Marks said of his opening dialogue. "That was an easy sell from that standpoint, just getting him interested in hearing what we had to say."
After arranging to meet Johnson and his family fairly soon in Greenville, Mississippi, Marks resumed the next phase of his well-calculated selling job that would land him the services of this talented SEC running back.
"If he's lucky enough to go on to the next level, he needs to play in an offense that fits his style, where he can really showcase and get him prepared, which is what we can do for any running back," Marks said. "If I was a running back, to come play for us I would say is a dream come true."
Marks next was able to convince Johnson to come visit Montlake and all that Kalen DeBoer's program has to offer. The player's first words upon landing were, "Long flight," but travel time would not prove to be a deterrent.
The Husky assistant coach had noted how Johnson seemed equally adept at running and catching the ball. Marks would receive an interesting answer when asking him for his thoughts on pass-blocking, which is a crucial element for running-back advancement in the coach's eyes.
"Coach, either you want to do it or you don't," he said, immediately winning over Marks.
Johnson since has backed up those words with actions during Husky fall camp. UW linebackers such as Edefuan Ulofoshio have passed on to the coaches how physical Johnson can be on the field, that he possesses very powerful hands that enable him to be an exceptional blocker,
The Huskies also like Johnson because he's played in the huge spotlight of the SEC, that a big stage will never be too big for him, that he won't freeze in the limelight.
Meantime, they'll try to offer him everything they can to make him an all-conference or even an NFL player someday.
"There are very few programs that are going to get you fully prepared for the next level like we can," Marks said, still selling the UW. "We'll ask him to do everything."
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