Oregon Facing SEC Competition for 2024 Edge Sterling Dixon Following Offer

Not many schools can pry elite prospects from the Southeast away from SEC programs like Alabama, Georgia, and Texas A&M. Oregon has proven that it can do that, and with Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi now on the staff, that momentum will certainly continue.

One of the latest targets for the Ducks is 2024 edge end Sterling Dixon from Mobile Christian (Mobile, Ala.) High School. He earned an offer from Oregon on Thursday following a phone call with Lupoi.

The offer is Dixon's eighth in the last month and 14th overall. The 2020 MaxPreps Freshman All-American caught the eyes of major programs after a stellar freshman season, recording 78 tackles, 31 TFL and nine sacks. Near the beginning of his freshman season, however, he suffered a season-ending torn labrum.

Despite the injury, schools have still had Dixon on their radar, as he's worked back from his injury.

"It's really a blessing," Dixon said of top programs offering him despite missing most of last season. "I'm in a great position. I'm back to normal already. I've been working out. I'm pretty much better than I was."

Oregon was a school that had been talking to him and his coaches before, so when he was called into his coach's office, he was in for a surprise.

"I didn't really think they were gonna offer me," he told Ducks Digest. "My coach put me on the phone with Lupoi, and we talked about football. We talked about the players that he recruited at my position and how I would fit in their defense."

Dixon, a 6-foot-3, 211-pound sophomore, also got the opportunity to speak with Lanning on the phone.

"He was just telling me 'why not be coached by Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi?' He talked about how they've both coached a bunch of people in my position, and he said I would fit great over there. And he was telling me about how Oregon has good academics and stuff like that."

Dixon told Ducks Digest that Oregon is "one of his favorite schools," despite having never visited Eugene.

"I love the uniforms. That's probably one of the coldest uniforms in college football," Dixon said. "And just the players that have come through there, they send a lot of people to the next level.

"I love Dan Lanning as the new head coach. I feel like he's going to do big things at Oregon, and I just can't wait for what the future holds."

For a brand new coaching staff, it may be difficult early to sell prospects on their vision compared to more established coaching staffs like Alabama and Georgia, but this Oregon staff is loaded with experienced recruiters who have brought in some of the most talented players in the country to thier respective programs.

Lanning's and Lupoi's pitch to Dixon was simple — be different.

"It was basically like 'just be different,'" the Mobile native said. "They told me that I can go play at Alabama or Auburn, but they said what's going to set Oregon apart is that I can play as a freshman."

For Dixon, that was exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I want to play right away. I want to go in and start my freshman year and make a big impact, and I want to leave in three years."

With 14 offers and counting as just a sophomore, Dixon will have plenty of opportunities to find the right fit for him, but he won't rush into anything. He said that he likely won't make a decision until his senior year, but will take plenty of visits in the spring and summer to help find his future home.

He said that Ole Miss has been in contact with him the most, along with Georgia and Mississippi State. Dixon will visit Louisville and Clemson in March, and during the summer, he will likely take trips to USC, Oregon and Florida.

It appears Oregon will be up against some tough SEC competition, but that's a challenge that Lanning, Lupoi, and others on the staff are more than willing to tackle head on.

*WATCH STERLING DIXON HIGHLIGHTS HERE*

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