Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 JUNE/JULY 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY KYLE KELLY Davion Dixon's recruitment didn't last until dessert because the 2025 de- fensive lineman decided to serve a com- mitment to the Notre Dame coaching staff as an appetizer. Heading into his April 21 unofficial visit, the 6-foot-3, 305-pound Dixon didn't expect to verbally commit. Nonetheless, that's exactly what hap- pened within the first few hours of his time back in South Bend. But after meeting with head coach Marcus Freeman, the Miami Belen Jesuit sophomore recruit had heard enough. During dinner that Friday night, he shared the good news with the Notre Dame coaching staff. "All other colleges want to talk about straight football," Dixon told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "When I talked to Coach Freeman, we didn't talk about football once. We just talked about what Notre Dame has to offer. And that's when I changed my mind about Notre Dame." After all, the Irish have been on Dixon's mind for the last 10 months. He partici- pated in a camp session last June, which allowed him to work in front of defen- sive line coach Al Washington. After he turned in an impressive junior season, the Irish second-year Irish assistant of- fered Dixon a scholarship Feb. 8. The three-star recruit racked up 70 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 24 quarter- back hurries, 10.5 sacks and 5 passes broken up in 11 games. He also had a forced fumble and a blocked kick. Dixon is currently listed as the No. 45 player in Florida and the No. 34 defen- sive lineman in the country for the 2025 cycle by On3. Before accepting Washington's offer at dinner, Dixon had reported 17 other offers. More than half of those were from Power Five programs, including Florida State, Florida, Michigan State, Penn State, Auburn and Nebraska. Although, in some ways, his recruit- ment is just getting started, Dixon didn't see any reason to prolong it. The Irish checked all his boxes from the start. "When I went to the Notre Dame camp, I said, 'Wow, this is an amaz- ing campus,'" Dixon said. "They have a good football program and a new head coach. I don't see why he can't win a national championship." There were several reasons why Dixon decided to shut down his recruitment in favor of the Irish. But the primary one was what Notre Dame could offer him off the field. "If you get a degree from Notre Dame, any job you apply to, they're going to put you at the top," Dixon said. "Be- cause you have a Notre Dame diploma." Dixon said he found a sense of cama- raderie on the football field, which he best described as a brotherhood. And the bond he hopes to share with his team- mates is why Dixon is confident he'll also excel as an athlete at Notre Dame. "I got brothers over there," he said. "So, they can help me through football or hard times. They're going to push me through it." He began building that bond with his future teammates during the Blue-Gold Game April 22. He was one of nine Irish verbal commits in town for the annual spring game. Dixon said he connected with 2024 defensive tackle Owen Wafle, quarterback CJ Carr and defensive end target Bryce Young. Though attending the game became a competition of which recruits could stay undercover from the South Bend sleet, not even the weather could rain on his parade. "I didn't even think about that," Dixon said. "I just decided I'm a part of the brotherhood at Notre Dame." Because Dixon is a high school sopho- more, college coaches haven't even had the chance to contact him directly. Further- more, the early signing window for 2025 FBS recruits is about 20 months away. Other coaches will surely contact Dixon and attempt to recruit him to their schools. However, he doesn't have any interest in entertaining other offers. "My dad always says, 'Never give an- other school a chance to get to you,'" Dixon said. "Because once you commit, you have to finish it. I'm going to finish with Notre Dame. "That's where I want to go. No school is going to take me from it." ✦ Notre Dame Dips Into Florida For First 2025 Commit FILM ANALYSIS "This is definitely a guy who's probably going to end his high school career in the top 300. He's going to be one of those highly ranked blue-chip interior defensive tackles. He has really good film. "As soon as I saw Davion Dixon, he reminded me of Cedric Hilliard, who was a great nose guard during the Bob Davie years. He's a combination of Cedric, Derek Landri and Louis Nix. I saw all three of these guys in one player. With his quickness and leverage — he's going to be a really good-looking 310-pound nose guard someday at Notre Dame. "He's a fantastic football player. To go down into the heart of Miami and get a guy with the Florida offers is huge for Coach Freeman, the recruitment staff and Al Washington. This is a heck of a get for 2025." — Blue & Gold Illustrated analyst Tim Hyde COMMITMENT PROFILE DAVION DIXON Dixon — a 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive tackle — picked the Fighting Irish April 21 over offers from Florida State, Florida, Michigan State, Penn State, Auburn and Nebraska. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM "All other colleges want to talk about straight football. When I talked to Coach Freeman, we didn't talk about football once. We just talked about what Notre Dame has to offer." DIXON