Unexpected Turns Led Dissly To Tight End
November 21, 2017 | Football
By Rich Myhre
It started out well for Will Dissly. He joined the University of Washington football team back in the fall of 2014, and as a true freshman he got playing time on a standout UW defensive line that included such future pros as Danny Shelton, Hau'oli Kikaha and Andrew Hudson.
With three seasons to go, Dissly's collegiate future looked bright indeed.
But in 2015 his fortunes no longer looked so promising. Though Dissly played in all of Washington's 13 games, "I kind of fell behind," he said. "I gained some weight and things didn't really work out the way (I) wanted."
In the coming months, things actually worked out very differently than expected for Dissly.
Prior to the Heart of Dallas Bowl at the end of his second season, UW head coach Chris Petersen proposed a position change. Would Dissly consider moving to tight end?
Dissly thought it over and said sure.
"I played (tight end) a little bit in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, they really liked what they saw and I was having fun," he recalled earlier this season. "So (Petersen) asked me in the spring, 'Do you want to make this a fulltime thing?' And I said, 'Yeah, let's do it. If it helps the Dawgs win, I'll try the offensive side.'"
Two seasons later, Dissly is still a tight end and a sometimes starter for the Huskies.
In fact, Dissly already had some tight end experience. He saw time at that position as a two-way player at Bozeman (Mont.) High School, where he was a Parade Magazine All-America honorable mention selection and the Gatorade Player of the Year for Montana as a senior in 2013.
Of course, playing tight end at an elite college program like Washington is much different from high school. "There was definitely a learning curve," Dissly admitted with a smile. "But it kind of came back naturally. And Coach Paopao (Jordan Paopao, Washington's tight end coach) definitely did a lot of good work with me, helping me get the fundamentals right."
Since making the switch, Dissly has blossomed into an important contributor for the UW offense. Now a senior, he has played at tight end in every game since the 2016 season opener, including eight starts, and has developed into both an effective blocker and a capable receiver.
In Washington's first 10 games of this season, he has 16 receptions for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
Earlier this season Dissly had the best game of his college career, and ironically it happened vs. Montana, the team from his native state. Against the Grizzlies, Dissly had five receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns in Washington's 63-7 blowout victory.
The year before he got his first UW touchdown, which also happened to be his first college reception. It came on a 27-yard catch-and-ramble TD during a 41-3 victory against Portland State.
What was that experience like?
"I think I blacked out," Dissly said with a laugh. "I don't really remember it. It was just such a crazy experience." The pass, thrown by backup UW quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels, was "a good ball. I think I made one guy miss and then just walked into the end zone.
"It was the fourth quarter (of a lopsided win), so there weren't many fans still there (at Husky Stadium). But it was still fun. I remember just getting mobbed by the (offensive) line. I think even Vita (Vea, a former defensive line teammate) was out there running after me.
"Scoring the ball is awesome," Dissly added. "It's definitely a cool feeling."
As he nears the end of his college career, Dissly says he sometimes wonders how his Washington years would have turned out had he stayed on the defensive line. "Who knows what would've happened," he said.
The hardest part about playing tight end, he went on, "is probably just the amount of knowledge (you need). Younger guys come in and they have a bunch of talent, but I think one of the things that slows you down is the amount of information we get. We're run blocking, we're pass blocking … and there's just so much thrown at us, it kind of slows you down a little bit. But once you get it down, it's just football."
After he leaves Washington, Dissly is hoping for the chance to play professionally. At 6 feet, 4 inches and 267 pounds, he has the necessary size for an NFL tight end. And he certainly has the desire.
"As a little kid running around in the backyard, people ask you what you want to do," he said. "Some kids say, 'I want to play in the NFL,' and some kids actually mean it. … I've just been fortunate in my career, a small-town kid from Bozeman, Montana, that had a chance to come play big-time college football, and I'm thankful to Coach Petersen and the opportunities he's given me.
"I've definitely enjoyed my time with my teammates, and if I get to play in the NFL that'll be great. But I'm super thankful for everything that's happened," Dissly said.
He is likewise grateful for the chance to represent the state of Montana at a top college program like Washington.
"I'm just super fortunate for all the support in Bozeman," he said. "Every time I go back there, people are telling me, 'Keep doing good work over there at Washington. We're all super excited to be watching you.'
"When we do spring practices and the fans come on the field (after the workout), I have a bunch of people come up to me and say, 'Hey, I'm from Montana.' It's kind of fun to be giving Montana a shout-out and to be able to represent them the best I can."
All in all, Dissly's college career has taken some unexpected turns, and there have certainly been both triumphs and disappointments along the way.
"But I'm super happy with how it's all worked out," he said. "I've had a real fun career so far."
It started out well for Will Dissly. He joined the University of Washington football team back in the fall of 2014, and as a true freshman he got playing time on a standout UW defensive line that included such future pros as Danny Shelton, Hau'oli Kikaha and Andrew Hudson.
With three seasons to go, Dissly's collegiate future looked bright indeed.
But in 2015 his fortunes no longer looked so promising. Though Dissly played in all of Washington's 13 games, "I kind of fell behind," he said. "I gained some weight and things didn't really work out the way (I) wanted."
In the coming months, things actually worked out very differently than expected for Dissly.
Prior to the Heart of Dallas Bowl at the end of his second season, UW head coach Chris Petersen proposed a position change. Would Dissly consider moving to tight end?
Dissly thought it over and said sure.
"I played (tight end) a little bit in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, they really liked what they saw and I was having fun," he recalled earlier this season. "So (Petersen) asked me in the spring, 'Do you want to make this a fulltime thing?' And I said, 'Yeah, let's do it. If it helps the Dawgs win, I'll try the offensive side.'"
Two seasons later, Dissly is still a tight end and a sometimes starter for the Huskies.
In fact, Dissly already had some tight end experience. He saw time at that position as a two-way player at Bozeman (Mont.) High School, where he was a Parade Magazine All-America honorable mention selection and the Gatorade Player of the Year for Montana as a senior in 2013.
Of course, playing tight end at an elite college program like Washington is much different from high school. "There was definitely a learning curve," Dissly admitted with a smile. "But it kind of came back naturally. And Coach Paopao (Jordan Paopao, Washington's tight end coach) definitely did a lot of good work with me, helping me get the fundamentals right."
Since making the switch, Dissly has blossomed into an important contributor for the UW offense. Now a senior, he has played at tight end in every game since the 2016 season opener, including eight starts, and has developed into both an effective blocker and a capable receiver.
In Washington's first 10 games of this season, he has 16 receptions for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
Earlier this season Dissly had the best game of his college career, and ironically it happened vs. Montana, the team from his native state. Against the Grizzlies, Dissly had five receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns in Washington's 63-7 blowout victory.
The year before he got his first UW touchdown, which also happened to be his first college reception. It came on a 27-yard catch-and-ramble TD during a 41-3 victory against Portland State.
What was that experience like?
"I think I blacked out," Dissly said with a laugh. "I don't really remember it. It was just such a crazy experience." The pass, thrown by backup UW quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels, was "a good ball. I think I made one guy miss and then just walked into the end zone.
"It was the fourth quarter (of a lopsided win), so there weren't many fans still there (at Husky Stadium). But it was still fun. I remember just getting mobbed by the (offensive) line. I think even Vita (Vea, a former defensive line teammate) was out there running after me.
"Scoring the ball is awesome," Dissly added. "It's definitely a cool feeling."
As he nears the end of his college career, Dissly says he sometimes wonders how his Washington years would have turned out had he stayed on the defensive line. "Who knows what would've happened," he said.
The hardest part about playing tight end, he went on, "is probably just the amount of knowledge (you need). Younger guys come in and they have a bunch of talent, but I think one of the things that slows you down is the amount of information we get. We're run blocking, we're pass blocking … and there's just so much thrown at us, it kind of slows you down a little bit. But once you get it down, it's just football."
After he leaves Washington, Dissly is hoping for the chance to play professionally. At 6 feet, 4 inches and 267 pounds, he has the necessary size for an NFL tight end. And he certainly has the desire.
"As a little kid running around in the backyard, people ask you what you want to do," he said. "Some kids say, 'I want to play in the NFL,' and some kids actually mean it. … I've just been fortunate in my career, a small-town kid from Bozeman, Montana, that had a chance to come play big-time college football, and I'm thankful to Coach Petersen and the opportunities he's given me.
"I've definitely enjoyed my time with my teammates, and if I get to play in the NFL that'll be great. But I'm super thankful for everything that's happened," Dissly said.
He is likewise grateful for the chance to represent the state of Montana at a top college program like Washington.
"I'm just super fortunate for all the support in Bozeman," he said. "Every time I go back there, people are telling me, 'Keep doing good work over there at Washington. We're all super excited to be watching you.'
"When we do spring practices and the fans come on the field (after the workout), I have a bunch of people come up to me and say, 'Hey, I'm from Montana.' It's kind of fun to be giving Montana a shout-out and to be able to represent them the best I can."
All in all, Dissly's college career has taken some unexpected turns, and there have certainly been both triumphs and disappointments along the way.
"But I'm super happy with how it's all worked out," he said. "I've had a real fun career so far."
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