Country Roads Lead Dixon to Gridiron Success
WVU Football LB Lance Dixon's relationship with football began in childhood.
The Oak Park, MI. native's father, Labaron, played college football for Eastern Michigan University and Division II's Central State University. His sons, Lance and Labaron Jr., were steeped in the football culture basically from birth.
It was Lance who pursued football into high school, playing everything from linebacker to wide receiver and running back. He became the West Bloomfield High Lakers' first player to be honored on the All-America Bowl team.
Dixon was team captain and MVP his senior season, but by that point, the nation was watching.
His first college offer rolled in during sophomore year. The Temple Owls had seen the stats and heard the hype. They wanted him. That offer was what Dixon credits as spurring his interest in making it to the next level.
In 2018, he told the Detroit Free Press that, "My first offer came from Temple University and at that instant, I knew I had a shot to pick up more offers. I attended various camps around the country and settled on a top five going into my senior season. My top five choices were Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State. I chose to focus on Big Ten schools not only because of the historical admiration, but also in my heart, it will give my family an opportunity to attend every game. That was something that was very important to me."
USA Today honored him as All-USA Michigan Defensive Player of the Year and All-USA Michigan Football Team first team in 2018. He graced the Associated Press' All-State first team his senior year and Detroit News All-North Football first team. He became the nation's No. 14 linebacker and the sixth best prospect coming out of the state of Michigan. The ball was in his court.
Dixon, a three-year letterman for head coach Ron Bellamy and four-star (247 rated him a five-star) recruit, opted for the Penn State Nittany Lions over in-state schools Michigan and Michigan State. He signed the first day of the Early Signing Period and off he went to Happy Valley.
"Being a Michigan kid, it was difficult to tell Coach (Jim) Harbaugh and Coach Dantonio I was not going to stay in state," Dixon's expose in the Detroit Free Press read. "I camped at Penn State twice, once going into my junior season and the other going into my senior season. If you've ever been to Beaver Stadium, also known as Happy Valley, you would understand why I get chills every time I step foot into that stadium."
2019, his freshman season, Dixon was redshirted after playing a trio of games. He became one of 19 true freshmen to see the field for the Nittany Lions. 2020, his redshirt freshman season, Dixon saw action in nine games, starting one.
Then, Bellamy took a receivers coaching job at Michigan, and Dixon put his name into the transfer portal. Wolverine fans were giddy to bring the linebacker to Ann Arbor, and it seemed to be not an egregious stretch to imagine Dixon in the blue and maize. Due to COVID eligibility, he still had four full seasons of eligibility wherever he landed.
Dixon reached out to former Michigan linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary, but never received a response. Newly hired DC Mike Macdonald had changed schemes, and the viper position that Dixon had excelled at was obsolete. He interpreted that as a falling out of love with the Wolverine team culture he could have had two seasons ago. It was no longer a place he could see himself excelling.
Waiting in the wings to snatch up a transfer portal purgatory-entrenched Dixon: head coach Neal Brown and the West Virginia Mountaineers. Dixon had attended a camp in Morgantown during his sophomore season, but then-head coach Dana Holgorsen hadn't extended the recruitment process.
"Obviously, it's a difficult process, having to transfer schools, but I'm pretty happy with the decision I made," Dixon said. "[West Virginia] seemed like the right decision for me."
Dixon transferred south to Morgantown in summer 2021 after committing in March, and made his presence known last season.
He played in 10 games, starting Long Island, TCU, Oklahoma State, and Minnesota in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. His resurgence against the Golden Gophers came after missing the final three games of the regular season with a leg injury. During his rehabilitation, he lost 5-8 pounds, and has focused his 2022 off-season training on compensating for that loss.
"Middle of the season, I felt like I was ready to play," Dixon said during 2022 Fall Camp. "[The leg injury] set me back physically, but I still stayed in the playbook, tried to learn more, do more, when I got back. In the bowl game, I felt way better out there than week 1-9."
He played 399 snaps, during which he compiled 36 tackles (24 solo) and a pass break-up. He became the team's ninth-best tackler, but in 2022, the only superior tacklers remaining are LB Exree Loe and DL Taijh Alston.
"Right now, I feel way better. Like I can do a lot more," Dixon said. "I've got a lot more stamina. I can play a lot more. Do a lot more things."
Head coach Neal Brown also commented on Dixon's general improvement during Fall Camp, calling him one of the "most-improved players since last year."
Dixon, and transfer MIKE LB Lee Kpogba, give DC Jordan Lesley a lot to work with.
Through a single game, Dixon already has five tackles (two solo). One of the chief reasons he selected the Mountaineers was that Lesley gave him the okay to spread his runs and attack space differently. During this week's press conference, Lesley gave a nod to Dixon's impact on some edge runs.
"I'm fast, so I like to run," Dixon said. "You get more opportunity to run out of the box. I like to showcase my speed more than anything."
Dixon will get his second chance to show off that speed at 6 p.m. tomorrow, when the Kansas Jayhawks come to town. The game will be live on ESPN+.
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