Tomorrow’s All-American: Dixon and Belue

Alabama head coach Nick Saban has instilled a process for every aspect of the Tide football program and the process for recruiting has kept Alabama in the top five recruiting rankings since his arrival at the Capstone. The process by which he evaluates recruits is unparalleled and allows him to address team needs and minimize the impact of losing players to graduation as well as the NFL draft. One of the more crucial parts of this process is invading the junior college ranks and bringing in players with experience that have the potential to make an immediate impact on the team.

Junior college players that transfer to DI schools usually have two years of playing eligibility and they have three years to utilize those. With only two years to make their name in the world of major college football, junior college transfers don’t have much time to grab the attention of NFL scouts — making their decision to attend a particular school even more critical. Saban doesn’t pad the Tide’s roster with as many JUCO players as some other coaches do but the players he has gone after have enjoyed huge successes. Among the more successful JUCO players who have come to Alabama since Saban’s arrival are Terrence “Mount” Cody, James Carpenter, Dequan Menzie, and Jesse Williams. Duron Carter is another JUCO transfer who is expected to do big things with the Tide in 2012 after encountering eligibility problems which kept him off the field in 2011.

The 2012 NFL draft will steal two of Alabama’s most productive cornerbacks, Dre Kirkpatrick and JUCO transfer DeQuan Menzie, leaving the Tide short on experience in the secondary. The 2012 JUCO signing class has just what the doctor ordered to keep the Tide defense from suffering major setbacks similar to the ones experienced in 2010. Travell Dixon announced his intentions to join the Tide defense on December 21^st and became Alabama’s first JUCO signee of 2012. Dixon is the number one ranked JUCO cornerback and like all of Saban’s recruits is expected to have an immediate impact in 2012. The second JUCO signee came just after Dixon announced his decision when fellow cornerback transfer Deion Beleu finally signed his letter of intent to join Alabama in the 2012 class. Dixon and Beleu’s decision to come on board for the Tide couldn’t have possibly come at a better time and as a result both parties should benefit greatly. Both players will enroll in January and begin their Tide careers, joining a short but very well known and respected list of JUCO transfers.

At 6-foot 3-inches and over 200 pounds, Travell Dixon looks like the prototypical Nick Saban cover corner and his recorded 4.4 forty yard dash time makes him an elite athlete from day one. Dixon was named a JUCO All-American at Arizona Eastern Community College, the same school Alabama plucked jumbo defensive end Jesse Williams from in 2011. He is described by his coaches as an elite corner with the ability few others possess. Dixon has a rare combination of speed and size with the athleticism to be a starter for the Tide next year. He will come up and give running backs a pop and doesn’t shy away from contact. Travell will likely be the number one candidate to replace Kirkpatrick in the Tide secondary and he shares many similarities to the future first round draft pick. During the 2011 season he could be best described as a lock down corner rarely having opportunities to showcase his ball skills due to opposing quarterbacks shying away from him. He went several games without having a pass thrown in his direction which speaks volumes about his abilities.

Travell Dixon played high school football in Miami garnering interest from many major DI schools. However, due to eligibility issues he enrolled at Eastern Arizona becoming the number one position player and number four JUCO in the country. Alabama has been hard after Dixon during the entire recruiting process and created a great relationship with him which proved to be a major factor in his decision. The other main factor for Travell is the opportunity to learn from the best in the business and with the Tide’s success rate with JUCO players he found the perfect situation. He offers security at a position that will be depleted at the end of the year and I fully expect him to be on the field from day one. Dixon plays with a chip on his shoulder and his confident attitude translates to the field very well. He has the speed to keep up with the best receivers and the size to contribute in run support. His ball skills are a strength he will rely on in the SEC and his athleticism will carry him until he learns the defense. Dixon is a coach’s dream at the corner position from an ability standpoint and his drive to be successful just adds to his overall value. He doesn’t pull any punches about his choice to come to Alabama and will gladly share his NFL aspirations with anyone who will listen. He wants to play on Sundays and he has two years to impress NFL scouts so look for this young man to become a household name quickly in Tuscaloosa.

The story of how Deion Belue became part of the 2012 signing class at Alabama is one of determination and is sure to make him a fan favorite right away. Belue is a native of Tuscumbia, Alabama where he attended Deshler High School and became a standout cornerback. He was heavily recruited by a number of DI schools but had his sights set solely on one, Alabama. Belue has been a fan of the Crimson Tide his entire life and committed to Alabama out of high school but his dream of wearing Crimson took a turn when academic issues sent the star corner across state lines to Northeast Mississippi Community College. He immediately made a name for himself earning All-Star honors in his first and only year in junior college. Deion went into JUCO needing 24 total credits in order to be eligible to transfer to any DI college yet he was only allowed to enroll for 21 credits. This would potentially keep him from becoming eligible once again so he signed up for an intersession course in advance, which proved to be the difference in becoming eligible for the 2012 signing class. Reports implying Belue was still three credits short were hitting the airwaves and created some buzz among recruiting guru’s but it all proved to be premature and were finally put to rest when he signed with Alabama on December 21^st. Deion will finally see his dream of becoming an Alabama Crimson Tide football player come to fruition when he takes the field in Cowboy’s stadium against Michigan for the first game of the 2012 season.

During the 2011 season Belue only had 13 tackles but it would be a mistake to evaluate him based on that number. According to his coach opposing quarterbacks avoided him like the plague and in order to put his skills to use he was put on return duty. Returning punts is where he would catch the attention of scouts and fans alike averaging more than 20 yards per return, one for an 80-yard touchdown. Recruiters from around the country attempted to contact Belue through his coach to no avail, he specifically told his coach he wouldn’t entertain any scholarship offers and that he still considered himself committed to Alabama. Deion has proven how much he covets the opportunity to be an Alabama football player and he has displayed the heart and determination of a champion during his efforts to see that dream come true. Nick Saban speaks often about being a relentless competitor and Beleu has certainly displayed that through his actions over the last year; he is a great player and person and you just can’t help but root for a guy like that.

On the field, quarterbacks avoided throwing to his side at all costs and like Dixon, he is considered a lockdown corner. Explosive is the word that best describes Belue and he plays defensive back the way Saban coaches it, aggressively. He will come after you, challenge you and lock you down with his athleticism and natural instincts. Belue will fit right in on the Tide defense with the way he plays the position and his determination. He stands about 6-foot one inch tall and around185 pounds and runs like the wind. There aren’t any official forty yard dash times on Beleu but rest assured; when he gets the ball in his hands and hits a seam nobody’s going to catch him. Coming out of high school he was considered a low four star and a high three star prospect by scouting services and since his time in JUCO his stock has gone through the roof. He uses his elite speed to close on the ball while it’s in the air and his instincts keep him a step ahead of many cornerbacks. Deion does an excellent job of baiting quarterbacks into thinking he is playing soft on the receiver and waits until the ball is in the air before breaking, this allows him to use his speed and close the gap quickly. In pre4ss or man coverage Belue is also capable of mirroring the receiver and will lock to him like glue, completely cutting off the option for the quarterback.

While Dixon is very comparable to Dre Kirkpatrick, Belue is surprisingly similar to DeQuan Menzie. Dixon is slightly bigger than Dre and Belue is more versatile in other positions than Menzie, but they both offer as much as their successors on and off the field. As of now it seems as if Saban has hit the JUCO jackpot once again with these two outstanding prospects and they will definitely be welcomed to a depleted unit in 2012. Both players will be enrolled in January and begin work immediately at their new home in Tuscaloosa. With a few experienced players returning in the defensive backfield and the additions of two junior college All-American cornerbacks, don’t look for opposing quarterbacks to get a break when they play the Tide any time in the near future.