The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1340560
Dixon is now in Ann Arbor as an early enrollee and could make an im- pact as a true freshman. However, Dixon isn't worried too much about that. He just wants to help the pro- gram as much as possible during his first year by doing whatever is asked of him. "I see myself being the player that they need me to be," Dixon said. "If they need me to play special teams, I'll play special teams. If they need me to play early, I'll do that. But re- ally, I just want to have a role with the team." While Michigan is a long way from home and uncer- tainty plagued the program through- out the fall, Dixon never wavered. He visited Michigan twice on his own and felt comfort- able with the program both on and off the field. Dixon was part of a 2021 recruiting class that never doubted their deci- sions. The rallied around each other and shared the same mindset — be the ones to change the culture. "We're ready to flip this boat," Dixon said. "I'm really excited about this class. I feel like we're the under- dogs. I'm always preaching the un- derdog role to our class. All you need is that one percent to keep pushing. I think we're going to shock the world and be better than people think." Dixon's mother, Christian, was all in on Michigan as well and never became worried when rumors about head coach Jim Harbaugh's future began to swirl. She encouraged Cristian to honor his pledge and felt a sense of reassur- ance once she gave her final farewell on move-in day in January. "I'm even more c o n f i d e n t , " s h e said. "He's going to be great here. They are going to get him right. He is the next one. I'm even more satis- fied. I was a little skeptical [during the fall], but I like the direction the program is going in. I like the coaches. I like the plan that they're putting together. I feel even better than before. "The only thing is that he's far [away from home]. That's hitting me a little hard now. I didn't realize how far it was, but I'm going to be okay. That's just the mother in me. I've got my frequent flyer miles ready." ❑ Dixon and the rest of the 2021 recruiting class have talked about turning around the Michigan foot- ball program. "I think we're going to shock the world and be better than people think," he said. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND MARCH 2021 THE WOLVERINE 43 CRISTIAN DIXON WIDE RECEIVER 6-2 • 187 MATER DEI H.S. SANTA ANA, CALIF. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 201 33 17 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 105 62 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 142 24 13 STATISTICS Year Rec. Yards TD 2020 Canceled 2019 35 611 6 2018 42 862 9 HONORS • Named second-team All-Trinity League in 2019. • Played in the Pylon 7-on-7 All- American Game. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Michigan on June 25, 2020. • Also held offers from Auburn, Cal, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ore- gon, Texas A&M, USC and a number of other major programs. • Recruited by offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. DID YOU KNOW? • Played for Pomona (Calif.) Diamond Ranch before transferring to Mater Dei ahead of his junior season. • Mater Dei was ranked No. 2 na- tionally by MaxPreps coming into the 2020 season before their campaign was postponed to the spring. The pro- gram finished No. 2 in the land with a 12-1 record in 2019. • Is enrolled early at Michigan. THEY SAID IT • Private trainer Ro Simon: "I like his length. I like his speed. I like the way he changes direction. I think he's going to do really well at the next level. I'm really impressed with him. He's able to beat press [coverage] and high point the football. He's a big-play guy. He's a red-zone threat. He can be a possession guy. I like his game a lot." • Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh: "Cristian Dixon is a tall, rangy, big-catch radius guy — 25 catches for 611 yards and six touchdowns as a junior; an ESPN top 150 type of player. He's a really good guy, and the level of competition he played at in high school is arguably the best in the entire country. I'm super excited about Cristian." 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE