Hate to see him go. Didn’t show much last year when given a shot - looked tentative.
Exactly what I thought. Didn’t seem to want to hit the hole hard. I heard some stats recently on the portal and they weren’t as favorable as far as athletes getting picked up as I think the athletes think. It certainly is not a pro in terms of college degree pursuit and education with bouncing around with pretty much only playing time in mind.
Players that drop down often underestimate the talent level at their destination, especially those that did not see much game action at their first stop. Also think Larison took people by surprise by being ready to go as a true freshman.
I think someone will pick him up but what school at our level is not going to have other running backs, and good ones? He had only two players ahead of him here, so he was going to get on the field, given the likelihood of injury. We need three running backs, so I wonder who will be the third guy now.
"...Dixon's finalists out of high school included Fresno State, Wyoming, Nevada, UNLV and UC Davis, where he bounced back to last season. However, the Aggies' offensive coordinator, Tim Plough, left the team for Boise State shortly after Dixon arrived, and the running back never gained traction with the team's new coordinator, Cody Hawkins, the son of the team's head coach, Dan."
I don’t imagine he had a lot of interaction with either offensive coordinator, both were are also the quarterback coach and can’t be expected to cater to the third string running back. He had an opportunity to win a job over an incoming freshman in the fall 2020 while Plough was still here and couldn’t do it. We’ve seen enough on the field to understand why.
I just believe that many athletes today have no patience - and bounce around with the “grass is always greener” syndrome, and enabled by the transfer portal. I also believe why he “didn’t gain traction” was that there were 2 clearly better backs in front of him. Work hard and wait your turn clearly isn’t in the psyche of many athletes today. Personally I think he could be a much better back if he ram more aggressively - he seemed to run tentatively without much drive to get the last yard or two. Maybe he will get more playing time at New Mexico, but their program has been pretty miserable lately (2-5 last year) although better than New Mexico States which is abysmal. I also like Rocky Long, ex SDSU coach and d-coordinator now for UNM. He gives great interviews - doesn’t take to kindly to obvious or pious questions - I start laughing just watching his expressions.
Re: Eligibility immediately for Peyton,
The article says “ Dixon is currently in Albuquerque, and while he is not yet practicing with the team, he should be eligible for the 2021 season since he transferred from the FCS level.”
I don’t think that’s right. I don’t think FCS has anything to do with it. The rule change as I understand it applied to all transfers and they were immediately eligible but it was a one time thing. Players who transferred previously need a waiver from the NCAA. Seems like if anyone wouldn’t be entitled to one it’s someone who’s going to his third school in three years as a freshman.
For the record, I'm not endorsing Dixon's assertion. I agree with my AST regulars - we have 2 studs at RB, and LL must have shown more in practice. It's that simple.
I responded to assertion in the quote you posted from the article , I know it wasn’t your position. The article asserts that as a reason and doesn’t even quote the athlete, so I think it’s just BS.