Jaylen Dixon’s Departure Will Be Another Receiver’s Gain
Oct 16, 2020, 12:16 PM | Updated: Nov 12, 2020, 12:41 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Earlier this week Utah lost one of its most explosive offensive weapons in Jaylen Dixon as the junior wide receiver publicly announced his intentions to leave the Utah football program as he officially entered the transfer portal.
— JD (Samuelson Haleston) (@jdixon__25) October 12, 2020
Dixon Disaster
Dixon’s departure most years would be considered a disaster for a Utah program that has struggled to throw the football consistently over recent memory.
However, the year 2020 is different than most years and Dixon’s departure is far less problematic for a Utah program that is as deep at wide receiver as it ever has been.
Britain Covey, Solomon Enis, Bryan Thompson, Brant Kuithe, Cole Fotheringham, Samson Nacua are just a few names that Utah has in its arsenal ahead of the 2020 season.
Would Utah be better with Dixon? Of course.
Dixon’s absence will be missed. There is no question. One man’s loss is another man’s gain, or at least so they say.
New Dynasty Begins
Could the departure of Dixon signify the beginning of a new era for one of his former teammates?
Immediately, I and Steve Bartle, co-hosts of the It’s Utah’s World podcast turned to two players on the active roster who could benefit greatly.
Solomon Enis and Samsun Nacua.
Making sprinting with a mask on look easy.@SolomonEnis | #MaskUpUtah pic.twitter.com/98GYVwTIiO
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) July 20, 2020
Enis was a four-star prospect out of the state of Arizona back in the day and has all of the attributes to solidify himself as a top receiving threat for the Utes. However, Enis has struggled to gain the looks since he joined the program in 2018. Last year, for example, Enis was only able to muster 14 receptions, 158 yards and no touchdowns. For a kid who had offered to the likes of USC and Arizona State, the numbers in 2019 were far too small.
Nacua, much like Enis, has teased Utah fans with some of his glamors over the course of his career but has not been able to put an entire season together. Nacua is a dangerous, shifty receiver who possesses the speed, hands and route-running ability.
In 2019, Nacua had 18 catches for 330 yards and four touchdowns averaging 18 yards a reception. He was a big-play threat and somebody Tyler Huntley trusted in the red-zone.
Samson Nacua's hair is wild pic.twitter.com/hydkst5h7M
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) September 23, 2017
Utah Football will have success in 2020 if they can get the most out of their receiving core which is something that Utah, under Kyle Whittingham, has struggled to do since the program joined the Pac-12 in 2011.
But there must be a first for everything and if Utah is going to transform themselves into the elusive and explosive offensive threat that they hope to achieve, then the year 2020 would most certainly be the time for it to unfold.
