Potential Transfer Target Lance Dixon Finds New Home
Former West Bloomfield standout, Michigan recruiting target and Penn State linebacker Lance Dixon has transferred to West Virginia.
Dixon was arguably Michigan's top target at the viper position during the 2019 recruiting cycle but the in-state product spurned the Wolverines for Penn State. In late-January, his former high school coach Ron Bellamy was hired by Michigan and then a few days later, Dixon's name showed up in the transfer portal. It seemed like only a matter of time before he would announce that Ann Arbor would be his new home but that's not how it played out.
Once in the portal, Dixon reached out to former Michigan linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary almost immediately, but the now-Tennessee linebackers coach never responded. With Jean-Mary's attention elsewhere, the lack of a response makes sense to Dixon in hindsight.
"[Michigan wasn't really an option] after the staff changed up," Dixon said. "It wasn't a reliable option for me."
Part of the reason is the scheme change. Former Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown wanted Dixon badly to man the viper position, but under Mike Macdonald that position doesn't exist. Dixon thought that U-M could be an option for him, but nothing ever materialized.
"I would guess [it's not a good scheme fit,]" Dixon explained. "I never got to talk to the new defensive coordinator."
During his search for a new school, Dixon only communicated with Bellamy, but obviously that wasn't enough to ever really get anything off the ground.
Dixon not picking Michigan isn't the biggest deal in the world, but it just seemed like a no-brainer given the 6-2, 221-pounder's recruitment, proximity to Ann Arbor, relationships with several players on U-M's roster including a few from West Bloomfield and obviously the presence of Bellamy on Michigan's staff. Instead, Dixon is a Mountaineer and should do well in the Big 12 because of his ability to play in space and cover various pass catchers.
