Dillan Johnson is entering the kind of season that tends to define a college lineman’s future. After two years of limited but steady runway, the junior defensive lineman looks set to finally get a real crack at becoming part of Wisconsin’s front-line rotation.
Johnson has already logged 21 games across his first two seasons, even if last fall mostly found him buried behind the Badgers’ experienced top four. Now, with a third year ahead of him, he appears positioned for a more consistent role alongside Hammond Russell IV, Junior Poyser and Charles Perkins.
At 6-foot-2 and 316 pounds, Johnson brings the kind of frame Wisconsin wants in the middle. He also brings a background that fits right into head coach Luke Fickell’s taste for wrestlers: Johnson was a dominant high school wrestler who won four state titles, much like star inside linebacker Mason Posa.
Defensive line coach EJ Whitlow said Johnson has put in the work to put himself in the mix.
“He’s right there in the mix with it. He’s a guy that’s been working his tail off.
He’s about 315 pounds right now and strong as an Ox," defensive line coach EJ Whitlow said. "He’s a guy that you can trust.
He knows his assignment. He’s gonna be where he’s supposed to be.
He’s heavy-handed, and he’s done a really good job of working on his game and progressing. Looking for big things out of him.”
That’s the sort of language that suggests Wisconsin believes Johnson can still become something more than a depth piece. The tools are there, and so is the physical profile. What has been missing is the production to match it.
If the offseason work pays off, Johnson could become the kind of interior presence the Badgers had in mind when they recruited him: hard to move, strong at the point of attack and reliable against the run. The expectation here isn’t a big sack total or splashy pressure numbers. It’s about leverage, sturdiness and making life miserable for offensive linemen trying to dislodge him.
“The big thing that we talked about was consistency. It can’t be a flash here, a play here. It has to be consistently showing up with the techniques and fundamentals that it takes to be successful at a high level," Whitlow said of the pair's offseason conversations.
That consistency is what will decide whether Johnson’s third season becomes his breakthrough or just another year of scattered snaps. The worst-case version is easy to picture: more game appearances, but only a handful of plays here and there, with no real chance to matter on the defensive front.
There’s also the possibility that other young linemen push past him, including Nolan Vils or fellow transfer DeNigel Cooper. But the bigger picture still points toward Johnson getting every opportunity to claim a starting or rotational starting role.
For now, he looks like the kind of player who should land somewhere near No. 3 or No. 4 on the Badgers’ defensive line in snap count this fall, with the latter feeling more likely. If he holds his ground, Wisconsin may finally have the interior piece it has been waiting on - and Johnson could set himself up for a full-time starting shot in 2027.
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Kirwan is drawing attention well beyond Madison, with offers from Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, UAB and Ohio State. The Buckeyes recent offer came after a camp visit, and more programs are expected to keep pushing during the season, which makes Wisconsins early move feel like the start of a real battle rather than a courtesy offer. [Read more 🡒]