Another Former UW Defender Joins Steve Belichick’s Staff in North Carolina
Thaddeus Dixon’s 2024 season could’ve been a preview of what was to come for UW’s secondary.
Instead, it was a grand finale.
Dixon, the veteran cornerback who was an All-Big Ten honorable mention after a breakout 2024 campaign, announced he will head to North Carolina in a post on his social media accounts on Saturday. He’d previously entered the transfer portal on Jan. 5, but was still considering a potential return to the Huskies before eventually choosing the Tar Heels.
Dixon is one of four players who is following former UW defensive coordinator Steve Belichick to North Carolina. The Tar Heels have also added linebacker Khmori House, wide receiver Jason Robinson Jr. and safety Peyton Waters. House and Waters were the only true freshmen on defense to burn their redshirts during the 2024 season.
Less than a month ago, Dixon’s college career seemed to be finished. The Los Angeles native spent two seasons at Long Beach City College, a junior college in Southern California, before arriving at UW during the 2022 season. He played in 27 games during two seasons with the Huskies, appearing to use his last year of eligibility in 2024.
But on Dec. 23, Dixon — along with other former junior college athletes whose eligibility was set to expire in 2024 — was granted an extra year by the NCAA. The blanket waiver was a response to a court injunction granted to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia in his lawsuit arguing his years at junior college shouldn’t count against his NCAA eligibility.
The junior college waiver gave Dixon, who made 43 tackles and defended 11 passes after winning a starting job against Sugar Bowl hero Elijah Jackson, a chance to extend his college career.
But UW, anticipating Dixon was going to be out of eligibility, already had his replacement: Arizona transfer Tacario Davis, one of the top players in the transfer portal.
Pairing Davis, a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2024, with incumbent starter Ephesians Prysock allowed UW coach Jedd Fisch and cornerbacks coach John Richardson to start the cornerbacks which helped Arizona win 10 games during the 2023 season.
Any potential return to UW for the 6-foot-1 Dixon likely would’ve required him to play nickel because Prysock and Davis, both listed 6-4, have frames to line up outside.
edge rusher Dixon, however, had shined outside during the 2024 season. Pro Football Focus graded him as UW’s third-best defender, trailing only linebacker Carson Bruener and Russell Davis II, and he surrendered only 23 catches on 50 targets.
Only safety Cameron Broussard allowed a lower percentage of catches when targeted than Dixon, and Broussard was thrown at 33 times fewer.
Five cornerbacks, including Dixon, have left UW since the past season ended including Jackson, Curley Reed III, Darren Barkins and Jordan Shaw, the Huskies’ starting nickel during the 2024 season. Jackson signed with TCU, Shaw is headed to Texas A&M and Reed will join Louisiana after initially committing to Louisiana Tech. Barkins has not announced where he will play in 2025 as of Friday.
Leave a Reply