Many players in Thaddeus Dixon’s shoes would’ve at least thought about entering the transfer portal. 2024 is his last season of eligibility after committing to the Huskies out of junior college before the 2023 season.
With everything that happened between the end of the national championship game and Saturday’s kickoff against Weber State, nobody would’ve blamed him for looking for a more stable situation for his final chance to prove he belongs in the NFL.
Asked about it on Tuesday, however, Dixon said he never considered entering the portal.
“I didn’t come here for the coaches, I came here for the culture,” the senior cornerback told the media. “I feel like so many [defensive backs] have come out of Washington; it’s not a coach that’s gonna make or break my decision of what I wanted to be a part of.”
Dixon’s mindset is a rare one in modern college football. Washington watched 2023 starter Jabbar Muhammad move to Oregon this offseason to chase stability and recognition. Even so, there wasn’t a guaranteed starting spot for Dixon after the Huskies added Ephesians Prysock and nickel Jordan Shaw in the transfer portal and retained 2023 starter Elijah Jackson.
Davon Banks, who flashed last season before missing most of the year with an injury, also returned for spring practice but transferred to Boise State after being squeezed out of playing time.
It didn’t matter.
Dixon looked like the most improved player on perhaps the entire roster through the spring and fall, making the CB2 discussion a serious one entering the Weber State game. Despite Prysock, Jackson, Dixon, and Darren Barkins all being listed as co-starters, Dixon told the media he was told a week before the season opener that he would be a starter last Saturday.
“I’d honestly say my maturity as a man,” Dixon said when asked what’s changed the most between last season and this one. “Just going about my business as a pro every day it makes it easier to develop throughout the offseason. I had a very cerebral approach.”
That cerebral nature, at least through one game, has helped Dixon cut down on holding and pass interference penalties that have plagued him in the past. A naturally handsy and physical corner, Dixon is trusting his technique and leaning on his added discipline to maintain that style without getting penalized.
It worked to perfection on Saturday: the senior had two pass breakups and could have had an interception if he didn’t collide in midair with safety Cameron Broussard.
No matter what Dixon says, however, Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff seems to have added an extra pep to the senior’s step. Dixon broke into a wide smile when asked about new cornerbacks coach John Richardson, adding, “He’s keying in on details, little things. We all got talent in our room, but you can’t make the most of talent if you’re not keying in on details. It’s been great working with him. I’ve felt myself grow as a player this offseason.”
Dixon is perhaps the best example of the untapped talent in Washington’s cornerback room. Everyone knows what Prysock can do after starting for Fisch last season. Jackson’s pass breakup in the College Football Playoff against Texas will live forever as a poster in Seattle-area bedrooms and bars. Dixon was hardly considered a factor coming into spring ball, and yet he’s consistently looked like Washington’s second-best corner.
The Huskies have talked all offseason about how Fisch and his staff have blended the culture of last year’s team with the new arrivals. Five of the six captains were on the 2023 squad; the sixth is quarterback Will Rogers, who committed to the previous staff but stuck around to helm this new team when Fisch was brought on.
Holdovers were noticeable all over the field on Saturday – wide receivers Denzel Boston and Giles Jackson, linebackers Carson Bruener and Alphonzo Tuputala, and safety Kamren Fabiculanan.
All of them bought into culture, not coaches. For Dixon, that’s unlocked a new level, one that may bring the Huskies to one as well.