Outstanding UK Camp Performance Changes Recruitment for Jakob Dixon
This time last week Jakob Dixon held scholarship offers from Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Illinois. After two exceptional performances at the University of Kentucky, he has an offer from the Wildcats and has been hearing from other Power Five programs. The dramatic transformation still has not sunk in for the Louisville Pleasure Ridge Park pass-catcher.
“It was honestly a sudden change, but I always had confidence in my skill and what I do,” Dixon tells KSR. “I obviously thought going in I was going to get more exposure than anywhere else.”
Dixon Shines at Sunday Showcase
A three-sport star at PRP, AAU basketball and track and field meets prevented Dixon from previously attending college football camps. He arrived in Lexington Sunday and felt better than normal during warm-ups. Dixon put a 4.5 40-yard dash on paper, then turned heads with a comeback route during the competitive portion of camp.
“After a couple one-on-ones, I could tell I was starting to get their attention.”
Assistant coaches provided some individual instruction, asking for different route concepts, and Dixon did not disappoint. Following his performance, Vince Marrow asked him to return to Lexington for another camp Wednesday afternoon.
Tips from Elijah Reed
Dixon entered a whole new world Sunday night. New to the recruiting game, he admits to feeling a little overwhelmed by the additional attention. Thankfully, he had a friend who was in a similar situation last year.
Elijah Reed was not considered a top-notch recruit last summer. The PRP receiver had just switched positions from wide receiver to cornerback. Like Dixon, checked all of the right athletic boxes before ultimately proving he was worth a scholarship offer. He signed with the Wildcats and enrolled this spring. Reed was on the sideline Sunday night to help his old friend.
“He was just telling me ‘Don’t worry as much as you are,’ because obviously I was a nervous wreck whenever they were talking to me. He was helping me calm down,” says Dixon. “Elijah’s taught me a lot of stuff, like how to play a cornerback, what to look for in a corner to beat ’em.”
What’s Next for Jakob Dixon
More comfortable in his return trip to Lexington, Dixon did more of the same, proving Sunday was no fluke. Following the Wednesday camp, Kentucky offered Jakob Dixon a scholarship, his first Power Five offer. Marrow believes Dixon can bulk up and join his position room to play a role similar to Izayah Cummings‘ as a hybrid tight end.
“They wanted me to work on playing different positions because they feel like I can be very versatile on the field; I can play tight end. They want me to put on more weight, because obviously in college you’re going to have to be a little more stronger than you are in high school.”
Dixon has never played tight end, but is eager to show that he’s not just a one-trick pony. Now that the Wildcats are involved, more schools want to see what Dixon can do on the gridiron. This Saturday he will attend a camp at Vanderbilt, followed by a visit to Purdue next Wednesday. The trajectory of Jakob Dixon’s football career has been changed thanks to an explosive week at the University of Kentucky.
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