Inside The Huskies

Huskies Still Over Scholarship Limit After Welcoming SEC Running Back

Dillon Johnson joins UW roster after three seasons at Mississippi State.

Dan Raley

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Without the fanfare of the 4-star wide receiver who signed late and the 4-star quarterback who committed early, Dillon Johnson this week quietly joined the University of Washington football program.

The addition of the Mississippi State running back to the roster was disclosed with a school Twitter post mid Thursday afternoon, a full day following the collection of the second wave of signed national letters of intent.

No reason was given for Johnson's 24-hour delay in becoming official, though the Huskies might have been negotiating the freeing up of a handful of scholarships behind the scenes.

As of Thursday, the UW still counted 88 players on scholarship— three over the prescribed NCAA limit — which included 61 holdover players and 27 newcomers, with Johnson among them.

Prior to the Alamo Bowl, DeBoer didn't seem fazed in meeting the prescribed number.

"We're right there," the coach said. "There are guys you kind of know may or may not be with us down the road. We're just trying to see how it shakes out."

The only other roster movement so far this week has been the departure of reserve tight end Zeke Pelluer, a non-scholarship player and the son of former Husky and NFL  quarterback Steve Pelluer.

This 6-foot-5, 261-pound Pelluer appeared in six games this past season as a sophomore and one in 2021, but didn't catch a pass. No explanation was given for him exiting the team. 

Johnson comes aboard following the late signing of 4-star wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons from Hayward, California, and the much publicized 2024 commitment from 4-star quarterback Austin Mack from Folsom, California.

The tailback imported from the SEC enters what should be a highly competitive UW position battle seeking a replacement for the graduated Wayne Taulapapa, the one-time Virginia transfer who came in and played very well in his one season in Montlake. Taulapapa led the Huskies with 887 yards rushing beside scoring 12 times overall. 

"Let's do something special," Johnson tweeted out after the Huskies revealed his place on the roster.

A 20-game starter for the late Mike Leach's Air Raid offense over three seasons, the 6-foot, 215-pound Johnson in his career rushed 229 times for 1,198 yards and 11 touchdowns, and caught 149 passes for 864 yards and another score.

A native of Greenville, Mississippi, Johnson will become one of the top UW tailback candidates along with 6-foot, 208-pound junior Cam Davis, who rushed for 522 yards and 13 touchdowns while starting once last season; and 6-foot, 212-pound senior Richard Newton, who ran for 233 yards and scored twice last season while starting three games in 2021.

Others in the mix for this job are 5-foot-10, 200-pound junior Daniyel Ngata, an Arizona State transfer who brings 689 rushing yards, 14 receptions for 98 yards and 6 TDs overall in his Tempe stay; 6-foot-2, 198-pound sophomore Sam Adams, who caught 2 touchdown passes last season; 5-foot-11, 192-pound sophomore Will Nixon, a one-time Nebraska transfer who ran for 2 scores in his debut season; 5-foot-9, 210-pound sophomore Aaron Dumas, the New Mexico transfer who redshirted last season; and incoming 5-foot-11, 180 freshman Tybo Rogers.

HUSKY 2023 NEWCOMERS

1. Tybo Rogers, RB, 5-11, 180, Bakersfield, Calif. (Bakersfield)

2. Keith Reynolds, WR, 5-9, 170, Adelanto, Calif. (Adelanto)

3. Deven Bryant, LB, 6-0, 216, Bellflower, Calif. (St. John Bosco)

4. Rashid Williams, WR, 6-2, 185, Pittsburg, Calif. (Pittsburg)

5. Jacob Lane, ER, 6-5, 230, Puyallup, Wash. (Emerald Ridge)

6. Diesel Gordon, S, 6-1, 179, Arlington, Texas (Sequin)

7. Anthony James II, ER, 6-5, 265, Wylie, Texas (East Wylie)

8. Zach Henning, OL, 6-6, 275, Aurora, Colo. (Grandview)

9. Vincent Holmes, S, 6-1, 175, San Jacinto, Calif. (San Jacinto)

10. Jordan Whitney, LB, 6-2, 215, Oxnard, Calif. (Pacifica)

11. Elishah Jackett, OL, 6-7, 280, Orange, Calif. (El Modena)

12. Landon Hatchett, OL, 6-3, 292, Ferndale, Wash. (Ferndale)

13. Soane Faasolo, OL, 6-8, 270, Menlo, Calif. (Menlo-Atherton)

14. Leroy Bryant, CB, 6-0, 175, Fairfield, Calif. (Rodriguez)

15. Elinneus Davis, DL, 6-3, 295, Moorhead, Minn. (Moorhead)

16. Curley Reed, CB, 6-1, 180, Lake Charles, La. (Lake Charles)

17. Kahlee Tafai, OL, 6-6, 307, Lawndale, Calif. (Leuzinger)

18. Thaddeus, Dixon, CB, 6-0, 187, La Mirada, Calif. (Long Beach City College)

19. Zach Durfee, ER, 6-6, 255, Dawson, Minn. (Sioux Falls)

20. Germie Bernard, WR, 6-0, 200, Henderson, Nev. (Michigan State)

21. Ralen Goforth, LB, 6-2, 225, Long Beach, Calif. (USC)

22. Josh Cuevas, TE, 6-6, 245, Los Angeles, Calif. (Cal Poly)

23. Caleb Presley, CB, 6-0, 180, Seattle (Rainier Beach)

24. Daniyel Ngata, RB, 5-9, 200, Reno, Nev. (Arizona State)

25. Jabbar Muhammad, CB, 5-10, 175, DeSoto, Texas (Oklahoma State)

26. Taeshaun Lyons, WR, 6-2, 165, Hayward, Calif. (Tennyson)

27. Dillon Johnson, RB, 6-0, 215, Greenville, Miss. (Mississippi State)

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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