Dixon has come a long way, but still has a lot to learn

Dixon enters 2019 following a true freshman season in which he posted 547 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 62 rushing attempts in only 106 offensive snaps over 13 games.

CLEMSON— This season was supposed to be running back Tavien Feaster’s big finale. The senior, whose leadership and work-ethic through the spring practice session, was praised by the coaching staff.

But after meeting with the coaching staff, Feaster decided to part ways with the school that won two national titles with after making a "business decision." That decision came after seeing the performance that fellow running back Lyn-J Dixon put forth during his freshman campaign.

Dixon enters 2019 following a true freshman season in which he posted 547 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 62 rushing attempts in only 106 offensive snaps over 13 games, and ranked fifth in the country among qualified backs with 8.82 yards per carry, a school record for players with at least 300 rushing yards

According to co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, Dixon's growth through the spring was impressive--but he still has things to learn if he is going to be a complete back.

You know, he looked good. You know, he's done a great job in the weight room. Still not in terms of pounds, it really hadn't started to come on yet," Elliott said. "But you see his body starting to fill out and he's running a lot more violent, more powerful. He's starting to understand the technique in pass protection, and now he's, I would say he's more self sufficient, whereas in the past you could see those guys are always looking at the quarterback, what do you, tell me what to do. But now he's able to read the signals and know what he's supposed to do. And now he's starting to understand how to identify defensive fronts so he can get to his protection responsibilities at the second level."

The Tigers will need Dixon to improve quickly this summer to step into the role of being an every down back the way that Feaster was.

Feaster drew the praise of the coaching staff during his time at Clemson, as one of the most trustworthy backs when it came to protecting the quarterback, even more-so than starting running back Travis Etienne--who finished seventh in the Heisman voting last season and is one of the dark-horse candidates for the 2019 season.

But along with a desire to see him improve in the passing game, is the need to see the sophomore mature in the way that he runs the ball. Namely, being willing to take an ugly two or three-yard gain instead of always looking for the home run play that ignites the fans, but frustrates the coaching staff.

"So just overall he's really progressing," Elliott said. "You know, has to make sure he does a better job at ball security just because he's an electric guy, he likes the big play, he likes to swing that ball. So I'm trying to get his attention to be a little bit more secure with the ball. Hasn't had an issue with putting it on the ground, but it's just a matter of time if you don't properly carry it."