The Washington Huskies needed some help on the offensive side of things and Kalen DeBoer went out and found a pretty intriguing running back in the transfer portal. Dillon Johnson, who thrived as an all-purpose back with the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense, left Starkville and sought out a place with a more well-rounded offense.
Which, well, the Huskies were able to provide. DeBoer and Ryan Grubb allowed for Johnson to play a more conventional running back role and he got the chance to play alongside one of the most electrifying quarterbacks college football has ever seen.
Johnson ran for 1195 yards in his only season with the Huskies and he played a pretty noteworthy role in helping the Huskies make it all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the Michigan Wolverines.
Washington Husky football history: Dillon Johnson was a huge get for Kalen DeBoer and the Washington Huskies
During the 2023 season, Johnson managed to average 5.1 yards per carry on 233 carries and he scored 16 rushing touchdowns. Which, that’s a lot of rushing touchdowns to score in one season, my friends. Johnson really did well in playing alongside Penix in the scheme that Grubb and DeBoer developed.
Heck, he was the first Washington Husky running back to get to 1000 rushing yards in four years. The last one to do it prior to him was Salvon Ahmed back in 2019.
And Johnson truly did a solid job throughout the season. He managed to run for 256 yards against the USC Trojans, a game in which he scored four touchdowns. Johnson also ran for 100 or more yards against the Oregon Ducks (in the regular season), the Utah Utes, and then the Oregon Ducks again in the final Pac-12 Championship Game.
Johnson was crucial in helping provide a balance to Washington’s offense. He helped give the Huskies a bit of life and allowed for Michael Penix Jr. to have someone in the backfield that the talented quarterback could reliably turn to when he needed a big play on the ground.