The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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54 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2020 BY EJ HOLLAND C ristian Dixon isn't your average recruit. When prospects are asked about their interests away from the football field, most either struggle to answer or give generic responses. Not Dixon. Walk into the family home, and you'll immediately notice some paintings over by the kitchen. Dixon isn't the collector. He's the artist. A bright red, blue and yellow self- portrait is hard to miss. The freehand work has a bit of an Andy Warhol vibe to it. "I'm big into peace of mind," Dixon said. "I know art is something that brings people calmness. I took an art class, and I guess I was pretty good at it. I used to draw a lot when I was little. It's just a hobby, though." His musical palate ranges from NBA YoungBoy to Beethoven. He likes doing tail whips on his scooter because BMX bikes are "too scary." And he's also dipping his toes in the fashion world. Dixon used his artistic abilities to develop his own logo and design his own clothes for his new lifestyle brand, Trench Activist, which sells everything from hoodies to sweatsuits to shorts. "The brand is based off someone that uses their hardships, failures in life and trials and tribulations to prevail," he said. "That's the backstory behind it. Nothing in life is easy. I learned that at a young age. You have to take some losses to come up with a big W." A four-star Michigan wide re- ceiver commit from Los Angeles, the No. 187 overall recruit nationally by Rivals.com is most often described as "weird" and "different" by his peers. In a private training session featur- ing elite defensive backs Jaylin Da- vies and Ceyair Wright, both joked that they love Dixon but know he likes to ride his own wave. The 6-2, 185-pounder will tell you he's just focused. An artist at heart, Dixon also has a business mentality. His focus is sim- ple — obtain wealth. In fact, most of his social media timeline is filled with entrepreneurial posts. His cover photo is a row of $20 bills. "I'd rather work for myself than work for someone else," he said. "They're letting us make money in the NCAA, so I'm going to take full advantage of that. I was going to do engineering at Michigan, but now I'm going to do business. That's more of my lane. I like making money." While Dixon comes off as an intro- vert, he has no problem manipulat- ing the system for his own benefit. Before giving Michigan a verbal pledge, Dixon hardly used social me- dia. In the weeks leading up to the release of his commitment video, he demanded more followers to unveil his announcement to the world. His goal: build up his personal brand to earn more capital now that the NCAA Board of Governors voted unanimously to allow student-ath- letes to be paid for the use of their name, image and likeness. "I wanted to boost my followers," FOOTBALL RECRUITING Four-Star Wide Receiver Cristian Dixon Is Michigan's Most Interesting Commit Dixon is listed by Rivals.com as the nation's No. 32 wide receiver and No. 187 overall prospect. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND