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Former Illinois LB announces transfer destnation

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Former Illinois linebacker Dwayne “DJ” Johnson has found a new home. After one season with the Fighting Illini, the rising sophomore is committing to Louisiana Tech.

Johnson, a 3-star member of Illinois’ 2021 recruiting class, announced his decision with a post on Twitter early Wednesday morning. The Georgia native spent only one season with the Fighting Illini before entering his name in the NCAA transfer portal.

As a freshman, Johnson appeared in 8 games at Illinois and was credited with 4 tackles. His best performance came in a loss to Wisconsin, tallying 3 stops with a solo tackle.

Johnson will have three seasons of eligibility to use at Louisiana Tech, as well as a redshirt year. He will be immediately eligible to suit up for the Bulldogs in 2022.

As a high school recruit, Johnson was a 3-star prospect and ranked as one of the Top 200 linebackers for the cycle. He held a dozen offers, picking Illinois over Arkansas, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Memphis, Temple and others.

Louisiana Tech went through a coaching change in the offseason after a 3-9 campaign in Skip Holtz’s ninth season with the program last fall. The program hired former Texas Tech and TCU offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie to lead the team.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to open the 2022 campaign against Missouri on Sept. 1.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB