Penn State guard Dallion Johnson enters transfer portal
Penn State redshirt sophomore guard Dallion Johnson has entered the transfer portal, confirmed by Blue White Illustrated on Tuesday afternoon. Just completing his third year as a Nittany Lion, he will have up to three years at his next school. That includes a redshirt year as well as the bonus COVID season that will be available to him.
Beginning his Penn State career during the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season, Johnson saw extremely limited action, appearing for just 15 combined minutes in eight games played. He connected on 1 of 6 3-point attempts.
But, upon the arrival of new head coach Micah Shrewsberry in 2021, Johnson took on a bigger role for the Nittany Lions. He played in all 29 games, originally coming off the bench only to eventually move into a starting role down the season’s home stretch. Johnson averaged 14.6 minutes for Penn State, averaging 3.7 points per game. He also hit on 27 of 74 3-point attempts (34.6 percent), good for third on the team.
“I think Dallion Johnson made a big jump,” Shrewsberry said of his performance. “We all saw him get better as the year went on.”
Follow-up performance
Setting up an opportunity for Johnson to continue contributing in Penn State’s explosive, 3-point shooting offensive attack, Johnson’s trajectory didn’t continue along the same path during the 2022-23 season. And Shrewsberry set the stage early for those expectations ahead of the campaign.
“Dallion’s gotta make that same leap, but he’s got to improve defensively,” he said. “People attacked him, but he made shots, so you keep him in the game.”
Welcoming an influx of shooting talent in Andrew Funk through the transfer portal, Johnson’s opportunities diminished through the season. He played in 23 games, averaging 8.7 minutes. But, he connected on just 11 of 37 3-point attempts, dipping his scoring average to 2.0 points per game.
Next steps
With Johnson’s exit from the program, Penn State’s opportunities to work in the transfer portal expands. The Nittany Lions are losing six players who ran out of eligibility in Jalen Pickett, Cam Wynter, Myles Dread, Mikey Henn, and Andrew Funk. With a three-man Class of 2023 of Braeden Shrewsberry, Carey Booth, and Logan Imes, Penn State could already target two transfer portal additions, with that number now extending to three.
Decisions from Seth Lundy, who just completed his fourth season but has a bonus year of eligibility available, will impact Penn State’s portal number. So will the decision of Caleb Dorsey, who came off the bench in a limited role this season after his third year in the program.
