Dillon Baxter - The Next Big Thing

Dillon Baxter was the top recruit for the 2010 USC Trojans recruiting class. A long time commit to coach Pete Carroll, Baxter never waivered and stuck with his commitment after finding out Lane Kiffin would replacing Pete Carroll as head coach at USC. Baxter attended Mission Bay highschool in California and was a star quarterback and running back throughout his 4 years in highschool. Did I mention he thew for 1,922 yards and had a 61% completion percentage during his senior year? Oh, needless to say, he had an additional 25 touchdowns through the air to bring his total to an astonishing 75 touchdowns on the season.

Let me breakdown the attributes of Dillon Baxter. Take the agility and quickness of Reggie Bush, the upright, yet, excellent running style of Chris Johnson, the hands of Frank Gore, and the personality of Clinton Portis. These 4 players give you all that makes up Dillon Baxter. I'm not saying that he is NFL ready right now, but he is pretty close. He has great size at 6'0 and 215 pounds and will get taller, stronger, and fast over the next 3 years at USC. By the time he enters the league, he will be, roughly, 6'2, 230 pounds, and still run a 4.5 forty-yard-dash.

Baxter will not come in and start as a true freshman. USC has great depth at running back, but the fact that he enrolled early and is already on campus, will only help his cause. Allan Bradford, Marc Tyler, and CJ Gable were all top recruits when they got on campus at USC and will make it very tough for Baxter to get playing time, but Baxter is too good to keep off the field. Whether it be at running back, wide receiver, or kick returner, Baxter will get plenty of opportunities to show what he can do and he will definitely leave his mark on this football team early and often. I will go out on a limb and say that Baxter is going to be the number 1 back on the roster by the time the season ends.

Way too early prediction... Dillon Baxter is the next USC recipient of the Heisman Trophy. By the time Baxter finishes up his third year, he will win a Heisman trophy. CJ Spiller was a terrific runner, receiver, and special teamer for the Clemson Tigers... Baxter will shatter his numbers. Plus, Baxter is playing on a much better team and the publicity of playing for a top knotch school will only help him get the national recognition necessary to make it to New York for the ceremony. There is no way, barring any freak injury, that Baxter will remain at USC for all 4 years. He will play as a true freshman, start as a sophomore, and leave after his junior year.

I have high hopes for this young man and I have a feeling that he will exceed all my expectations. He will make a lot of people look foolish on the field, but off the field, I won't be one of those people. College football fans, be sure to keep your eyes on Dillon Baxter, because if you blink, you just might miss him and be stuck looking at the back of his #28 jersey... I'm just sayin'.