The race for college football’s most dramatic transfer portal announcement has a new leader.
Mississippi State running back Dillon Johnson entered his name into the portal Wednesday evening, taking a direct shot at Bulldogs coach Mike Leach on Twitter on the way out the door.
After thanking God, family, friends, teammates and Mississippi State fans, Johnson turned his attention to the Bulldogs’ coach.
“With that being said, since I am not very tough, and Leach is glad I’m leaving, I will be entering my name into the transfer portal with the hopes of finding a more fit playing environment for me,” Johnson wrote.
Johnson, a native of Greenville, Miss., ran for 488 yards and three touchdowns in his third year at Mississippi State.
The junior tailback was vocal about the Bulldogs’ offensive approach after Mississippi State’s 24-22 Egg Bowl win over Mississippi in its regular-season finale. The Bulldogs ran for 97 yards in that game, their highest total since Oct. 8 against Arkansas.
“I feel like we just need to run the ball,” Johnson said. “That’s just what it comes down to.”
Leach, for his part, piloted Mississippi State to an 8-4 record in his third season in Starkville.
Before the season, Leach criticized elements of the transfer portal’s current format.
Leach said the portal “can’t be ignored as a resource” but expressed a preference to build around “guys that you’ve worked with since they got out of high school.”
The Bulldogs are scheduled to play Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 2.
