DeeJay Dallas
Demetrius “DeeJay” Dallas, Jr. is an American football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Miami and was drafted by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Early years
Dallas was born in Brunswick, Georgia on September 16, 1998. He attended Glynn Academy in Brunswick, becoming a starter at wide receiver on the football team in his sophomore year. He played all over the field while in high school, at wide receiver, running back, quarterback, kick returner, punt returner, and even on defense. He was named a first-team all-region 3-5A wide receiver in his sophomore year. As a junior, Dallas led Glynn Academy to a Class 5A State Championship appearance for the first time in over 50 years, amassing 678 passing yards, 1,139 rushing yards, 147 receiving yards and 22 total touchdowns over the course of the season and being named region 3-5A player of the year. In his senior season, he amassed 911 passing yards, 1,201 rushing yards, 105 receiving yards, and 24 total touchdowns, while bringing Glynn Academy to the state quarter-finals and being named region 3-5A player of the year again. Throughout his high school career, Dallas amassed a total of 1,599 passing yards, 2,502 rushing yards, 779 receiving yards, 430 return yards and 55 touchdowns.Recruiting
Dallas was considered one of the top recruits coming out of high school, claiming a spot in the top-300 players of the class of 2017 by ESPN. Because of his versatility on the field, Dallas was listed as an athlete, but most experts thought he would do best as a wide receiver or defensive back. Most recruiting websites had Dallas as a four-star athlete. Dallas had offers from Georgia, Alabama, and others, but ultimately chose to play at Miami under head coach Mark Richt.College career
Freshman Season
Dallas enrolled early at the University of Miami on January 17, 2017. Mark Richt and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown had him working out at wide receiver through summer camps but were considering moving him to running back. Before the 2017 season opener vs. Bethune-Cookman, he was listed third on the depth chart at wide receiver. Dallas saw his first action in the same game, recording a single 16-yard catch. For the next few games, Dallas was not very involved in the game plan, only having a couple kick returns and receptions. After a season-ending injury to starting RB Mark Walton, the Hurricanes were in a tough spot because they did not have much depth at the position. Miami looked to Dallas for help, moving him from wide receiver to running back. In Week 10, Dallas had a breakout game vs. #3 Notre Dame. He had 2 touchdowns and 53 yards rushing on 12 carries, helping the Hurricanes blowout the Fighting Irish 41–8. It was only his second week taking meaningful snaps at running back for the Hurricanes. Dallas finished strongly that season, totaling 113 rushing yards and 1 touchdown in the ACC Championship vs. top-ranked Clemson and the Capitol One Orange Bowl vs. sixth-ranked Wisconsin. Dallas finished the season with 217 rushing yards on 41 carries and 3 touchdowns, as well as 92 receiving yards on 4 receptions.Sophomore Season
During the offseason, Dallas' goal was to bulk up to adequate weight for a running back. He was listed at 200 lbs at the start of his freshman season. Head coach Mark Richt said in an interview in the middle of the previous season: "If he was going to be a running back, he probably would have been 10 pounds heavier.", although complimenting how well he took on the challenge. Dallas ended up succeeding, as he was listed at 220 lbs by the beginning of his second year. At the beginning of his sophomore campaign, Dallas was the second-string running back on the depth chart, behind standout Travis Homer. In the season opener vs 25-ranked LSU, Dallas rushed for a team-high 38 rushing yards on 8 carries in a 33–17 loss. He had his first 100-yard collegiate game in Week 3 vs. Toledo, where he gained 110 rushing yards on 17 carries and 1 touchdown. Dallas went on to have two more 100-yard games in Week 5 vs. North Carolina and Week 9 vs. Duke. He also became a reliable special teams returner about halfway through the season, returning it 25 times after Week 5. He even recorded a punt-return touchdown in a Week 12 win over Pittsburgh. While the Hurricanes finished a disappointing 7–6 season, Dallas had a solid season as a second-string running back. On the season, he tallied 617 rushing yards on 109 carries and 6 touchdowns, as well as 558 return yards and 1 touchdown. Dallas finished with a team-leading 1260 all-purpose yards. He earned 2 team awards in 2018: the Christopher Plumer Memorial Award and Special Teams MVP.Junior Season
After the previous season, starting running back Travis Homer declared for the 2019 NFL Draft, making Dallas the de facto starter for the Hurricanes in 2019. Head coach Mark Richt stepped down soon after the 2018 season, and the Hurricanes appointed defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to fill his place. Diaz hired Dan Enos as offensive coordinator. As Enos had experience with NFL running backs in the past, Dallas had lofty expectations entering his junior season. Most thought his experience in the prior two seasons put him in position for a breakout campaign, especially after recording multiple touchdowns in the Hurricanes' spring game. Dallas hit the ground running at the beginning of the season, amassing 309 rushing yards on 35 carries and 4 touchdowns over the first 3 games. However, he did not keep his pace for the rest of the season, averaging only 55 yards per game the following 7 weeks and not hitting the 100-yard mark again, partially due to a nagging knee injury that caused him to miss most of Week 7 vs. Georgia Tech and all of Week 8 vs. Pittsburgh. Dallas' season was cut short by a dislocated elbow injury suffered in Week 10 vs. FIU. His injury forced him to miss the final two games of the season. Dallas finished the season with 693 rushing yards on 115 carries and 8 touchdowns, as well 140 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. All of his rushing stats were career highs. Dallas was awarded two team awards in 2019: the R. Dale Melching Leadership Award and one of the Captains of the Year.On December 27, 2019, Dallas announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the 2020 NFL Draft. He finished his Hurricane career with 1,527 rushing yards on 265 carries, 317 receiving yards on 28 receptions, and 20 total touchdowns.