The Final Cockdown: #44 Gerald Dixon

Gerald Dixon
Redshirt Sophomore Defensive End
6'2", 268 lbs.
Rock Hill, SC

Recruitment:
2 stars, 96th-ranked strongside defensive end in the 2011 class
Other offers: None

College Career:
Dixon redshirted in 2011 and saw limited action as a redshirt freshman in 2012.

2012 Stats:
4 games played, 2 tackles, 1 sack

2013 Outlook:
Based on the fact that he had no other offers coming out of high school, the cynic inside you might wonder if Dixon was offered to help seal the deal with South Pointe High teammate Jadeveon Clowney, but it's worth keeping in mind that the 2011 recruiting cycle represented a different era in Gamecock football recruiting. 34 prospects signed National Letters of Intent with South Carolina in the final year of unrestricted recruiting class sizes in the SEC, and the Gamecocks were just months removed from their first significant team achievement in school history: winning the SEC East.

But, despite his lack of offers and top prospect billing, Dixon enters 2013 with a chance to add some quality depth at defensive end. He's currently third on the depth chart at weakside defensive end behind Chaz Sutton and Mason Harris. Though it's unlikely that he'll see a great deal of snaps in non-garbage time in 2013, how he performs during practice and in whatever game action he sees this year could go a long way to determining if he'll be a candidate to step in for Jadeveon Clowney or Chaz Sutton in 2014.

Trivia:
Though, considered separately, they have some of the more conventional names in college football, half brothers Gerald Dixon and Gerald Dixon, Jr. present a unique challenge for fans searching for a way to keep them straight. I'll use this space to brainstorm some ways for you to keep them straight.

Gerald Dixon has the lower jersey number of the two Dixons, and his nickname is "Lil' G".

Gerald "Lil' G" Dixon also weighs 50 lbs. less than his half-brother, so if they're standing side, the difference in their respective body mass should be a dead giveaway.

Side note: Try to imagine for a moment the mild frustrations associated with sharing a name with your brother and your father. I was named after my father and go by my middle name, so I have a starting point for beginning to understand how frustrating it can be to sign up for classes, apply for credit cards, and be the guy who interrupts the roll call on the first day of every class that you ever enroll in to say, "Yeah, I know it says Lee, but I actually go by Connor." But to share the same name as your father and your brother? Yikes. Parents, do do that.

Possible Todd Ellis play-by-play call:
Murray receives the shotgun snap, drops back to pass, but no! He's going to be sacked. Gerald Dixon breaks through the line on fourth down, and that's going to be the icing on the cake on a big win in Athens, Geor-

[sound of a piece of Duck Tape being ripped off the roll] [Todd Ellis' muffled cries for help can barely be heard as David Cloninger takes the microphone]

Gerald Dixon from ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA. ROCK HILL! ROCK HILL! ROCK HILL! ROCK HILL! TRADE CRAIG KIMBREL! FIRE FREDI GONZALEZ! I HAVE INCREDIBLY RELEVANT TASTE IN MUSIC! ROCK HILL!

[Cloninger's obituary begins with a Blues Traveler quote]