Greenville native Dillon Johnson is headed to the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers announced Wednesday the team has signed Johnson, a running back, who starred at St. Joseph Catholic School before playing in college for the University of Washington and Mississippi State University .
Johnson originally signed with as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans.
Johnson spent much of this summer with his longtime trainer Coach Justin “Boogie” Levy at the Greenville Christian School field house.
Last year with Coach Levy’s help, Dillon transformed himself into one of the biggest stars in college football in the one year he spent at the University of Washington. Dillon helped lead the Huskies to the national championship game against Michigan. He finished the season with1,195 yards and 16 touchdowns. His play in the college football playoffs was truly inspiring. Dillon fractured his foot in the semifinals against Texas in the Sugar Bowl, but sacrificed his body to help his team win.
Last month in an interview, Johnson said he is ready to prove his critics wrong.
“Sometime I look back at last year and you can’t do nothing but just be amazed. I put all my marbles in one little cup and I put it on myself traveling across the world to Seattle not really knowing the environment I was going into and I bet it on myself. The coaches at Washington gave me the opportunity to do what I can do, and I did that. I was blessed with the opportunity and God put me in that position to do it. “
“It definitely drives man. It definitely motivates me. Looking back I was so upset and so mad, but I know it is just part of the business. It is kind of crazy how the business works. I had an injury toward the end of the year, and it kind of put me in a hole. I didn’t realize that it was that big of a hole because I still played at a high level the last four or five games with that injury. I didn’t know that was going to lead to that. But it happens. It is what it is.”
