MORGANTOWN — Much has been made about who’s transferred out of the WVU football program, but the Mountaineers have benefited from the immediate eligibility changes the last two seasons.
Look no further than Lance Dixon, who left Penn State following a shaky COVID season in 2020 for West Virginia last year, filling a major need at linebacker.
Now, with a year under his belt, Dixon is the likely favorite to start at the Will position.
“Obviously, it was a difficult process having to transfer schools, but I’m pretty happy with the decision that I made and I can’t really say I would go back and change it. I don’t regret,” Dixon said. WVU “seemed like the best option for me. The defense, it allows you to play outside of the box more and do more things.”
With the Nittany Lions, Dixon played inside more than he hoped, and at 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds, his frame didn’t match the more-physical nature playing in the box can have.
Inside, Dixon wanted to use his speed and athleticism, and the Will linebacker spot in WVU defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley’s scheme was a more-natural fit.
The opposing offenses in the Big 12, compared to the ones he faced in the Big Ten, is also a reason the Mountaineers were the ultimate destination for Dixon as he entered the transfer portal.
“Going from an Iowa to an Oklahoma, it was entirely different,” Dixon said. “In the Big 12, there’s just so much more drop-back passing with more receivers split out, more empty sets, stuff like that.”
Dixon lost about 10 pounds, now sitting at 214, which helps him play more outside the box.
Growing up in Big Ten country in Michigan, most of Dixon’s high school recruitment was from those schools, as well as Notre Dame. He wasn’t recruited by WVU as part of the class of 2018, which was mainly recruited by the previous coaching staff under Dana Holgorsen.
“I went to camp here when I was in 10th grade, but never really talked to West Virginia after that,” Dixon said. “It was a whole different coaching staff back then. This time, when I was looking around, I thought this was the best defensive fit for me.”
During the early part of last season, Exree Loe got a bulk of the snaps at Will linebacker, but Dixon rotated in for his fair share of action. Dixon continued to improve, ultimately earning a starting spot for four games, but an injury forced him out of action for the final three regular-season games.
However, Dixon returned for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against Minnesota, and had 11 of his season-total of 24 tackles in the loss.
Loe missed all of spring practice recovering from an injury, so Dixon has gotten a bulk of the first-team snaps at Will.
“I feel way better now than I did a year ago because I didn’t get the offseason training,” he said. “Right now, I feel way better. I have more stamina and can do more things.”
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