Dillon Johnson
 Johnson with the Washington Huskies in January 2024 | |
| No. 35 – Carolina Panthers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Running back |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | June 15, 2001 Greenville, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 217 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | St. Joseph (Greenville) |
| College: | Mississippi State (2020–2022) Washington (2023) |
| Undrafted: | 2024 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Practice squad |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Dillon Alexander Johnson-Norris (born June 15, 2001) is an American professional football running back for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Washington Huskies.
Early life
[edit]Johnson was born in Greenville, Mississippi, where he attended St. Joseph High School. In his high school career, Johnson would throw for 957 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also rushing for 4,287 yards and 54 touchdowns. On defense, Johnson made 389 tackles, ten forced fumbles, and nine interceptions. As a punter, Johnson would have a career average of 48.5 yards per punt.[1] Johnson was rated as a four star athlete when coming out of high school.[2] Johnson eventually decided to play college football at Mississippi State University.[3][4]
College career
[edit]Mississippi State
[edit]During Johnson's first season in 2020 (which was shortened due to COVID-19), he rushed 51 times for 225 yards and four touchdowns, while also making 36 receptions for 157 yards.[5] In the 2021 season, Johnson would rush for 485 yards and four touchdowns on 89 carries, while also notching 65 receptions for 422 yards and a touchdown.[6] In the 2022 season, Johnson would rush for 488 yards and three touchdowns on 89 carries, while also hauling in 48 receptions for 285 yards.[7] After the conclusion of the 2022 season, Johnson would decide to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[8][9]
Johnson finished his career at Mississippi State with 1,198 yards and 11 touchdowns on 229 carries, while also bringing in 149 receptions for 864 yards and one touchdown.[10]
Washington
[edit]Johnson would decide to transfer to the University of Washington to play out the rest of his college career.[11][12] In week five of the 2023 season, Johnson rushed for a career high 91 yards and two touchdowns, while also making five catches for 48 yards, in a 31-24 win over Arizona.[13] In week seven, Johnson would rush 20 times for 100 yards and a touchdown, as he helped the Huskies to a win beating Oregon.[14] Johnson ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns in the final PAC-12 Championship game as Washington defeated Oregon. Johnson had two rushing touchdowns and 49 yards against Texas in the Sugar Bowl before leaving the game with an ankle injury.[15] In the National Championship against Michigan, Johnson led the Huskies with 33 rushing yards on 11 carries.[16]
Statistics
[edit]| Season | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | |||||
| Mississippi State Bulldogs | ||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 11 | 1 | 51 | 225 | 4.4 | 4 | 36 | 157 | 4.4 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | 13 | 7 | 89 | 485 | 5.4 | 4 | 65 | 422 | 6.5 | 1 | ||||
| 2022 | 11 | 6 | 89 | 488 | 5.5 | 3 | 48 | 285 | 5.9 | 0 | ||||
| Washington Huskies | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 14 | 14 | 233 | 1,195 | 5.1 | 16 | 24 | 190 | 7.9 | 0 | ||||
| Career | 49 | 28 | 462 | 2,393 | 5.2 | 27 | 173 | 1,054 | 6.1 | 1 | ||||
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m) |
217 lb (98 kg) |
30 in (0.76 m) |
9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.68 s | 1.62 s | 2.68 s | 31.5 in (0.80 m) |
9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
24 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[17][18] | ||||||||||||
Tennessee Titans
[edit]On April 27, 2024, Johnson signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent after he was not selected in the 2024 NFL draft.[19][20] He was waived on July 25.[21]
Carolina Panthers
[edit]On July 31, 2024, Johnson was signed by the Carolina Panthers.[22] He was waived on August 19, and re-signed to the practice squad on September 5..[23]
Personal life
[edit]Johnson has one son, Dillon Johnson Jr., who was born on August 2, 2022.[24][25]
References
[edit]- ^ Vorel, Mike (February 21, 2023). "What can Huskies expect out of transfer RB Dillon Johnson? 'It's going to be scary, man'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Nemec, Andrew (June 21, 2019). "Dillon Johnson, 4-star athlete, commits to Mississippi State over Oregon, others". Oregon Live.com. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "Double duty: Mississippi State lands 2nd commitment Friday in talented in-state athlete Dillon Johnson". Saturday Down South. June 21, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ McDougle, Anthony (July 15, 2019). "Dillon Johnson's first love is basketball, but Mississippi State football is his future". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "Dillon Johnson 2020 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "Dillon Johnson 2021 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Schultz, Nick (January 3, 2023). "Former Mississippi State RB Dillon Johnson commits to Washington". On3.com. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Newsome, Langston (December 8, 2022). "'Leach is glad I'm leaving': Mississippi State's Dillon Johnson enters transfer portal". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Schlabach, Mark (December 8, 2022). "Mississippi State's Dillon Johnson to enter transfer portal, takes jab at Mike Leach". ESPN. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Froyd, Crissy (December 26, 2022). "Mississippi State football: transfer RB Dillon Johnson sets commitment date". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Vorel, Mike (January 3, 2023). "UW Huskies add another transfer running back in Mississippi State's Dillon Johnson". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Raley, Dan (August 18, 2023). "The Sales Pitch That Brought Dillon Johnson to the Huskies". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Hanson, Lars (October 2023). "Dillon Johnson Has Career Night With 91 Yards Rushing in the Desert". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Forde, Pat (October 14, 2023). "Washington Hangs On Against Oregon in Back-and-Forth Thriller". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "Dillon Johnson injury: Update on Washington RB vs. Michigan in national title". SI.com. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ "Michigan 34-13 Washington". ESPN. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ "Dillon Johnson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Dillon Johnson College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "Washington running back Dillon Johnson signs with Tennessee Titans". uwhuskieswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (May 10, 2024). "Titans Agree to Terms With 16 Undrafted Free Agents, Including RBs Dillon Johnson (Washington) and Jabari Small (Tennessee)". TennesseeTitans.com.
- ^ Sikes, Ryan. "Titans waive promising UDFA running back". Titans Wire. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Gantt, Darin. "Panthers add running back". Panthers.com. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Gantt, Darin (August 19, 2024). "Injuries force a handful of transactions Monday". Panthers.com.
- ^ Vorel, Mike (August 18, 2023). "Dillon Johnson says UW has 'best offense in the country.' Soon enough, he'll show you why". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Krajisnik, Stefan (August 15, 2022). "Mississippi State football's Dillon Johnson balancing dad life, preseason practice". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved October 29, 2023.