Dallas Elliott came to Williston as a quarterback in seventh grade.
He played the position for Northampton’s suburban team as a sixth grader and stayed behind center through eighth grade. The Leeds native expected to take snaps for the Wildcats once incumbent Henri Bourque (who now plays at Merrimack) graduated.
Williston coach Tommy Beaton watched him moving around playing baseball and formulated another plan: move Elliott to receiver and the defensive backfield. He saw Division 1 potential.
“I guess it worked out for the best,” Elliott said.
He’s headed to UMass as a preferred walk on to play either receiver or in the defensive backfield. It’s where Elliott always wanted to end up once he set his sights on college football rather than baseball. Elliott attended UMass basketball and hockey games as a kid and “I think one football game,” he said.
“Being so local I wanted to make sure my family was going to be able to come to all my games,” Elliott said. “That was really important. I knew all along I wanted to go somewhere close to home.”
Elliott chose the preferred walk on spot at UMass among Division I FCS scholarship offers from Rhode Island, Merrimack, Central Connecticut State and a Division II one from Bentley.
“He’s not the biggest kid, but pound for pound he’s one of the toughest kids I’ve ever been around,” Beaton said.
That toughness helped Elliott find a football home close to home during one of the most challenging recruiting cycles ever. Williston did not compete against other schools in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – Elliott’s junior season when college programs often take notice. He also had to compete for a spot against players returning for a fifth season and increased transfer portal movement.
“I ended up going where I wanted to go, UMass was the spot for me, don’t get me wrong. I think that COVID year had a little bit of an effect on my recruitment,” Elliott said. “The transfer portal screwed a lot of things up for me, but I can’t say enough how happy I am it worked out anyways. UMass is the spot for me.”
When the Wildcats returned to the field in 2021, Elliott more than made up for lost time. He was second in the 10-team NEPSAC Class A Erickson League with 40 catches, accumulating 532 yards and four touchdowns.
“No matter who we played, he was a player the other team was going to have to prepare for,” Beaton said. “He brought it every single game.”
UMass first reached out after the season ended. Receivers coach Ryan Partridge saw his film and like what was there. The contact picked up after the new year, and Elliott attended some spring practices. Head coach Don Brown’s presence and involvement with the minutiae drew Elliott in.
“He’s really inspiring. He gets involved with all the drills. He’s not afraid to raise his voice,” Elliott said. “I like how involved he is with the team. He’s not afraid to say how he feels.”
He announced his commitment to the Minutemen on March 7. The Minutemen will now have two former Wildcats on the roster once he joins tight end Eni Falayi.
Elliott was also accepted into the Isenberg School of Sports Management, which further solidified his desire to be in Amherst.
I’m excited to announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at the University of Massachusettsâ€¼ï¸ Thank you to all who helped get me hereâ€¼ï¸ @UMassFootball @FBCoachDBrown @CoachRoPo @CoachPart @Coach_Casula @coachbeats @WillistonFB pic.twitter.com/cCHzko4jhV
— Dallas Elliott (@DElliott2003) March 8, 2022
“The football is huge, but getting into such a high academic school was a big part of my decision. That was important for me. I wanted to do something that would challenge me football wise and school wise,” he said.
It will keep him close to home in the Pioneer Valley for (at least) another four years.
“I love western mass. I’ve been saying it since I was a kid,” Elliott said. I don’t see myself anywhere else. I love it here.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.