Deejay Dallas Is Primed for a ‘Monster’ Junior Season

It’s safe to assume that Deejay Dallas is Miami’s most versatile player — taking reps at almost every position in high school and switching from wide receiver to running back in his Freshman year when Mark Walton’s season was cut short due to injury.

Deejay would show flashes of elite talent throughout the season — finding the endzone in crucial games against Notre Dame and Wisconsin, and expertly running the Wildcat formation. Heading into 2018, we expected him to play a major role in Mark Richt’s offense.

Posting 1,162 all-purpose yards in 2018’s regular season, Deejay was able to portray his versatility by returning punts and kickoffs while being Miami’s 2nd option at running back. Ultimately, Dallas is typically thought to be the only positive aspect of the Hurricanes’ offense last season.

While Miami’s 2018 season was full of drama and adversity, it’s Deejay’s heart and loyalty that helped him become a fan favorite. His loyalty goes beyond the playing field — reaching out to recruits and promoting positivity even in times of struggle.

Despite there being a bevy of positive ways to describe Deejay Dallas, he’s still not perfect. His production on the field in 2018 was celebrated, but he was surprisingly prone to fumbling. Against Duke, he would post a career-long 83-yard touchdown run, but fumbled twice during crucial moments in the game — killing any momentum that the Canes’ offense had. Of course, there were other factors that kept Miami from victory that day — the downpouring rain didn’t help — but Dallas would also give up a costly turnover while returning a kick against Georgia Tech which led to a Yellow Jacket score.

Following his miscues, Dallas received loads of encouragement and support from his coaches and peers — also speaking with UM Sports Psychologist Dr. Eric Goldstein.

Hopefully, the adversity that Dallas faced in 2018 will lead to maturity — enabling him to become an even better player. With that in mind, we can assume that Deejay will come back hungry and determined — armed with a new playbook and mentor in running backs coach Eric Hickson.

As fans, we can only hope that Miami’s new offensive scheme fully utilizes Dallas’ versatility and astounding set of skills.