Huskies Offer Mississippi State RB Who Had Parting Dig for Leach

Dillon Johnson, a Mississippi State operating again who memorably took a parting shot this week at coach Mike Leach whereas getting into the switch portal, on Friday obtained provides from a handful of faculties together with the College of Washington. 

The 6-foot, 215-pound junior tailback apparently heard a recording leaked publicly of Leach denigrating his enjoying strategy as soon as the coach discovered he was exiting the SEC program and Johnson cited it in his farewell Twitter submit.

“With that being stated, since I’m not very robust, and Leach is glad I’m leaving, I will likely be getting into my identify into the switch portal with the hopes of discovering a more healthy enjoying atmosphere for me,” he stated.

Johnson actually was robust sufficient to start out 20 of the 36 Mississippi State video games he performed over three seasons, together with six for Leach’s most up-to-date 8-4 group. He handed up the ReliaQuest Bowl, previously the OutBack Bowl, which is a Jan. 2 matchup towards Illinois in Tampa, Florida, to place his identify within the portal.

With two years of eligibility remaining, he additionally holds provides from Syracuse and Louisville. 

In Mississippi State’s unfold offense, Johnson rushed 229 occasions for 1,198 yards and 11 touchdowns, and caught 149 passes for 864 yards and one other rating in his profession for the SEC group, along with his offensive versatility making him a super again for Kalen DeBoer’s pass-first assault.

Within the audio recording connected beneath, Leach was heard criticizing the participant with the next remark, “Dillon Johnson is leaving. I am truly type of glad as a result of I do not assume he is very robust.”

Leach has by no means been shy about insulting anybody in a public setting, as soon as calling now retired Spokane Spokesman-Overview columnist John Blanchette “a sanctimonious troll” as a result of he did not like a query throughout a postgame information convention at Husky Stadium following the 2019 Apple Cup. 

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Blanchette, a witty however not essentially a confrontational author, requested Leach why he and his Washington State group had misplaced 31-13 to the Huskies that day with the entire expertise he had accrued.

“You run your little column and stuff like some sanctimonious troll, the place you’ve by no means been truthful or even-handed with us, so I actually don’t care what you assume,” Leach stated indignantly. “OK, go forward, since you’re going to write down some actually nasty stuff such as you all the time do. … If you happen to can stay your little meager life in your gap and write nasty issues and that makes you’re feeling even, you go proper forward.”

This previous season, Johnson ran 89 occasions for 488 yards and 4 scores for Mississippi State, and he caught 48 passes for 285 yards and a landing. He had a career-best 65 receptions for 422 yards in 2021.

In his prime speeding outing for the Bulldogs, he carried 16 occasions for 89 yards and a pair of scores this season in a 40-17 victory over Arkansas in Starkville, Mississippi.

Johnson is the third recognized participant within the switch portal to obtain a UW scholarship provide, becoming a member of Cal Poly redshirt freshman tight finish Josh Cuevas and Wake Forest sophomore cornerback Gavin Holmes.

The Husky teaching employees seems to be in search of a veteran operating again to interchange Wayne Taulapapa, the Virginia switch who at present leads the UW group in speeding with 779 yards and has scored 10 TDs heading into the Alamo Bowl, and has 21 receptions for 208 yards and one other rating.

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