JCA's Dillan Johnson has committed to Northwestern for football and wrestling. Congrats to him
JCA's Johnson to NU
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This kid might be the best wrestler in the country for the class of 2024. Awesome that he is giving both a shot in college.
(I thought Wisconsin would have been the choice because Fickell has a big wrestling background also)
(I thought Wisconsin would have been the choice because Fickell has a big wrestling background also)
Outstanding for him, but honest question, being a fan of both sports and having a family member compete in Big Ten wrestling and knowing their schedule, how the hell are you going to pull off both? It's not like high school wrestling where you finish in November or earlier and you take a couple weeks off and hit the mat in December....major college programs you may not get done until January and that's over half of the wrestling season completed....then with the spring and summer schedule with football, one of these sports is going to have to take a back seat....I don't know, I don't see how you can do both at major D1 programs like this. I always thought wrestling was his ticket. If he can pull it off, more power to him.
Yeah I don’t see how it works especially since there is a 285lb weight limit which would make him an undersized defensive lineman (I know he can cut weight) by B10 standards and probably force him to limit some of his muscle mass to do both. It will be interesting but I see it as a 1-2 year experiment until he picks one and goes all in.
They just overlap too much and the commitment level of both sports that will be expected of him to compete is also too much. I know some players like Charlie Ward and Julius Peppers in the past have jumped to hoops after football that overlap but football to wrestling at a major conference program is just completely different. I’ve seen him wrestle, he’s a beast, at 6’0 as well I think this is his ticket to success, but I also know how much wrestling gives scholarship wise and how much football gives, so maybe he’s willing to go to wrestling and compete speratically but he’s not going to hand in his gear in January and after a season of playing D-Line take the mat at the Heavy spot in a conference like the Big Ten. JCA fans trust Im a huge fan of him on the mat and I haven’t seen him on the field but I’ve heard great things and I’m pulling for him, but I just don’t see how you pull it off, if he does, much respect to him!
Agreed that it will be tough. Ceiling in each sport is high. Could be an NFL draft pick like his brother. Could also become an NCAA champion heavyweight and possible Olympian. Doing both could make it harder to maximize his potential in whichever ends up being his highest calling.
I believe due to NCAA rules, he has to take the football scholarship over the wrestling scholarship (they have more scholarships to give anyway and that is how they prevent teams from stacking scholarship FB players on Olympic sport teams).
So I assume if he starts to scratch the surface of his NFL or Olympic potential, he will make a choice after a year or two. If after 2 years he is in the rotation on the defensive line and turning some scouts eyes, he may choose football. It is easier to be an NFL draft pick if you don't have to hover near 285 all season. If he is competing for Big Ten championships and national championships in wrestling, he would likely pick wrestling. It is hard to compete at that level of wrestling with limited wrestling in November and December.
For now, it is best to take the football money and give both a shot. Eventually, the time constraints and overlap of both along with the limitations on his weight for wrestling may make him choose sooner rather than later. But it sure sounds like a fun freshman year. If Northwestern doesn't qualify for a bowl game, the job gets substantially easier. If they do, then he is overlapping sports in all of November and December and likely missing out on valuable wrestling preparation. I will be interested to see him balance it all.
I predict he will be a national champion wrestler. Can he do that while still playing football? Or will he drop a sport after a year or two? We will see.
Football notebook: Joliet Catholic’s Dillan Johnson and Bolingbrook’s Kyan Berry Johnson commit and Charlie Bliss retires
Kyan Berry Johnson, a three-star receiver ranked 24th among Illinois juniors, committed to Wisconsin last month.
chicago.suntimes.com
Latest from Mike Clark on Johnson, KBJ, and Charlie Bliss
