Recruiting Film Review: Linebacker Sterling Dixon

A product of local Mobile Christian School, Dixon was Alabama's first defensive commitment of the class.

The first defensive commitment in Alabama football's recruiting Class of 2024, linebacker Sterling Dixon, brings a lot to the table as a versatile edge rusher. 

Dixon comes from Mobile Christian School in Mobile, Ala. He comes in at 6-3 and 211 pounds., so he will probably have to get his size up before he gets to campus. 

He is rated as the No. 11 consensus player in the state, and is overall the 185th-ranked player in the 2024 class as a four-star talent. Overall, Dixon is a solid recruit who can definitely make a contribution at the next level. 

With that being said, and a fantastic commitment video to boot, let's get into Dixon's film.

Things That Stand Out:

The first thing that need to be mentioned is his speed from the linebacker position. Combined with his ability to get off blockers, he's always a threat to make a tackle, even in open field.

The clip below shows that, with Dixon (No. 9 in white) beating two lineman and getting to the quarterback who is trying to escape. He forces a throw away and makes a really good play here.

This is something that Dixon offers despite his size. While ideally a linebacker should be a little bigger than 211, Dixon offers the speed that comes with being a smaller guy the position. 

The size concern could turn into a blessing, and Alabama can take advantage of his speed to be a more dynamic playmaker.

The next thing that Dixon does really well it get off blocks. His speed helps him to cover gaps better than most, but the ability to actually beat multiple lineman on the same play and get to the ball is crazy good.

This clip shows Dixon (No. 9 in white) again beating three different blockers (even the same guy twice), and chasing down a mobile quarterback before making the sideline tackle. 

He's a really good "see ball, get ball" type of player, a trait that Alabama really covets.

Here is a final example of that mentality by Dixon, at the 1:45 mark of this video. The plays goes past him, but he does not stop trying, racing to the quarterback with speed to make the tackle.

His tackling is also big positive. Dixon doesn't miss a lot of tackles, and with his ability to get to guys so quickly, the job he does to bring down ballcarriers is sure to make a lot of coaches happy.

Rarely does he over run players or commit too hard to try and make a highlight level play. Instead, he keeps the ball in front of him and makes sure to make the play. They all count the same in the stat sheet, and Dixon does a good job at getting players to the ground.

Areas of Concern 

The obvious concern with Dixon is the size. He could stand to gain 10-15 pounds before getting to Alabama, which would do wonders for his strength.

Another concern that goes along with the size issue is his ability to just run over lineman. He often uses swim moves and other finesse moves to get around bigger lineman. That could work in the college game, but after two or three moves the line will adjust and he's eventually going to have to try and bullrush opponents.

Perhaps the biggest issue Alabama might have with Dixon is the position he plays. He's small for a down-linebacker role, but he might be too big to play a secondary role. 

This is more of a concern for the future and something that could be fixed by the time he gets to Tuscaloosa, but if he stays at 211 pounds the questions about his position on defense will only grow.

Final Verdict

With another year of high school left, and maybe to grow, Dixon has obvious potential as a defensive playmaker. On past visits to Alabama, he loved the idea of having Kevin Steele as a coordinator and his attitude fits that scheme well.

The speed and tackling ability made him a top prospect, and his potential is enormous. Down the road people may wonder why this guy was not a five-star prospect coming out of high school.