Dixon wants his chance

Rising sophomore Lyn-J Dixon wants one thing: To be able to show the world what he is capable of doing.

CLEMSON— Lyn-J Dixon burst onto the scene last season as the Clemson Tigers’ running back of the future.

Dixon set a school-record, among qualified players, averaging 8.82 yards per carry. As a true freshman, Dixon scored five rushing touchdowns, three of which covered at least 50 yards. Dixon tied for eighth in the country in carries of 50-plus yards (four), and he reached that ranking on only 62 carries while all other members of the Top 10 recorded at least 125 attempts.

After being thrown into the fire last season—as a summer-enrollee—Dixon believes that he has grown even more through the spring season.

“Last year I came in late. I was in the mid-year, so it kind of ... a lot on me, but I kind of processed it through the year,” Dixon said, “but now since I had this spring, it kind of is coming in like it be ... it's like mostly with me, where like, "This is easy.”

Even after setting school-record during his freshman campaign, Dixon found himself simply observing from the sidelines as the Tigers completed their undefeated season with a 44-16 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

It was that experience, seeing the likes of Travis Etienne, Tavien Feaster and former Tiger Adam Choice, that has motivated Dixon to make sure that the Tigers make it back to the championship this season.

“Being on the sidelines, seeing the atmosphere, and seeing how intense it can be, it really motivates me to get back to that stage so I can be able to play, and just show what I can do on the big stage,” Dixon said. “You really just got to keep your focus and always be on the sideline, like you're going to get in, and train your mind like you're going to get in, be ready at any moment, because you never know when your name will be called. So I always just train my mind just to be ready for that moment to come.”

But if Dixon is going to have the opportunity to play on the biggest stage in college football he still has work to do in the little things—like how he holds the football and his blocking techniques.

“(Co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Tony Elliott has) been preaching on for me to start running low and to stop running so high and to lower my back when I'm running through the tackles, so I'm going to start working on that during this summer, just to get better at that,”Pretty much just stay off my tippy toes and stay lower to the ground and start staying on my arms, because I got long arms, and I got to use that to my advantage.

“I would say just my overall game, just to get it better. Never settle for less, so I'm just going to keep working and kind of grind and pulling myself and getting better to what I used to be from last year.”

If he does those things there is no doubt in his mind that he will get his chance to show the world what he can do.

“You really just got to keep your focus and always be on the sideline, like you're going to get in, and train your mind like you're going to get in, be ready at any moment, because you never know when your name will be called,” Dixon said. “So I always just train my mind just to be ready for that moment to come.”