Looking at What West Virginia is Getting in Penn State LB Transfer Lance Dixon

The Mountaineers picked up a huge commitment on Thursday.

West Virginia filled a major need on Thursday morning with the addition of linebacker Lance Dixon transferring in from Penn State.

Dixon spent two years in Happy Valley after being one of the top recruits in the country in the class of 2019. He held several big-time offers including the likes of Cincinnati, Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, NC State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Wisconsin just to name a few.

With Tony Fields II and Dylan Tonkery graduating, the Mountaineers only had one "true" linebacker" listed on the team's official roster. They have several young and inexperienced guys that are labeled as bandits but with the lack of depth at the position, you can almost guarantee some of those guys will be moving around, Dixon included.

For some more insight on Dixon's potential, we caught up with Mark Wogenrich of All Penn State on Sports Illustrated. Check out what he had to say below.

Lance Dixon arrived at Penn State as a 4-star recruit with a high ceiling. Defensive coordinator Brent Pry called Dixon the team's fastest linebacker who needed seasoning. Dixon made one start, against Ohio State, at outside linebacker and played pretty well: five tackles, a forced fumble. He can run but needs seasoning, particularly as an open-field tackler. With four years of eligibility, he can get there.

Coach James Franklin said in November that he "couldn't be more excited about [Dixon] and his future." With the Lions, Dixon likely would have entered the 2021 season behind returning starter and captain Jesse Luketa on the depth chart.

With four years of eligibility remaining, Dixon has an opportunity to really develop as a player and become one of the leaders on the West Virginia defense. As long as he's healthy, you can expect to see him on the field quite a bit next fall.

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the page's top righthand corner. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:

Facebook - @WVUonSI

Twitter - @SI_WVU and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.