A week before the Sun Bowl, life was so much easier for then-Washington Husky defensive back Thaddeus Dixon.
Make the ordinary plays, make a few big plays, get out healthy, get ready for the NFL.
On the Washington 19 yard line the down markers read “2nd and 9”. Dixon cut the legs from under Louisville running back, spilling the Cardinal for a 2-yard loss.
He’d lined up 9 yards off the ball, with his heels on the Husky 10. He was covering Louisville’s outside receiver but immediately recognized the play and as the announcer said, “like a torpedo,” he cut past two would-be blockers and took out the ball carrier.
But 5 years ago it was California’s Covid restrictions which nearly torpedoed Dixon’s dreams of playing in the NFL. After graduating from La Mirada he sat out the 2020 season while the world sorted things out.
In 2021 he enrolling in nearby Long Beach City College for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
He chose to start his college career close to home at Long Beach Community College. So close that he was able to enjoy his mom’s spaghetti on a weekly basis.
At LBCC he put together two All-American-worthy season that included 5 interceptions. ESPN rated him as the number 27-overall Junior College prospect.
Staying home, he was able to save money, and ultimately, extend his collegiate career and perhaps his NFL dreams—more than one once thought, especially now.
He transferred to Washington where he has played in 27 of 28 games, including starting all except the Sun Bowl this past season. After the regular season he was recognized as Washington’s defensive skill player of the year, and All-Conference Honorable Mention.
On December 21st, Winter Solstice, it was pretty cut-and-dried that’s his college career would end in El Paso on 10 days later. That is, until two days later, news broke that the NCAA Division I Board of Directors was granting him and others an additional year is eligibility. A waiver permitted athletes who attended and competed at a non-NCAA school for 1 or more years to remain eligible and compete in 2025-26 season. The nuance was that those athletes would have otherwise used their final season of competition during the 2024-25 academic year, and meet all other eligibility requirements.
Dixon met all of the requirements, including all academic goals set forth in the waiver. A collegiate career that looked to be all but over had new life.
Suddenly he had a decision to make: enter the 2025 NFL Draft or return to college for another year.
Early in the season he was rated by The33rdTeam.com as a riser in draft boards. Others projected him as a late draft pick or undrafted free agent.
If he went to the draft his financial future would be uncertain. However, returning to college he had NIL money and the ability to improve his draft stock.
In reality, it was a muddier situation. The Transfer Portal opened in early December and, expecting Dixon to have used up all of eligibility, the Huskies were looking for his replacement, and targeting Arizona cornerback Tacario Davis who was in the portal.
Davis played for the current Washington staff and was a top target to fill Dixon’s spot. In fact, Dixon may have factored into Davis’ decision to not follow Jedd Fisch to Montlake last January given that they play the same position.
So, there was Dixon caught in no-man’s land. In fact, the Washington coaches were likely blindsided by the NCAA ruling that put Dixon in the tough spot in the first place.
Dixon loves Seattle. Loves the University. Loves Husky Nation. Loves being a Dawg. Loves being a part of the legacy of Death Row Dawgs and DB-U.
But he’d already walked down the tunnel on Senior Day.
He took to Social Media and through his connection with Husky fans, he let them know he was agonizing of what appeared to be inevitable: he’d leave the program.
Behind the scenes, Davis’ commitment to UW had forced Dixon’s hands and he entered the Transfer Portal.
But as much love as Dixon had for Husky Nation, the fan base reciprocated it 100-fold. Monday at a team event at Lucky Strike Bowling in Bellevue, Dixon was surrounded with teammates who let him know how much he was a part of the team’s future.
Late in the evening, Washington running back Jonah Coleman took to X, imploring Washington fans to “do yall thang husky nation”, tagging Dixon in the post.
120,000 views and a couple of thousand interactions later and Husky Nation bestowed upon Dixon favorite son status.
Some shared with him pictures he’d taken with their kids, @khornet40 shared a picture that Thad had signed for his daughter, while used the hashtag “KeepThad”.
Others chose not to appeal to Dixon’s heart but to his head noting that if he chose to stay at Washington there’d be another “no fly zone” like the ones he’d grown up watching.
Names like McDuffie, Murphy, Molden, Baker, Gordon and so many others, Davis, Dixon, Ephesians Prysock could be etched into Husky lore, as well.
Husky Nation has certainly given Thad something to think about ahead of his decision. He has listed favorites for landing his services as Washington, Michigan, Tennessee, North Carolina and Ole Miss.
Dixon has been surrounded with the love of the entirety of the Washington Husky football community, at large.
There is little doubt of the roar that would greet him every time he stepped into the field at Husky Stadium.
Every hit.
Every broken up pass.
Every torpedoing TFL.
