Texas adds DL Collins, WR Dixon to 2020 signing class

By Steve Habel
Senior Contributing Writer

AUSTIN, Texas – And then there were 18 … and then 19.

That will be the final total for the University of Texas football team’s 2020 signing class after defensive lineman Alfred Collins of Cedar Creek High School in Bastrop and wide receiver Kelvontay Dixon of Carthage High School officially agreed to play football for the Longhorns today on what used to be considered National Signing Day for college football.

Texas, and most other programs, did the bulk of the signing back in December, when the Longhorns[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] inked 17 players, most notably running back Bijan Robinson from Tucson, Arizona.

Wednesday’s signings were so low-key that Texas didn’t even hold a press conference to announce them, with coach Tom Herman scheduling travel in the afternoon as the official commitments were being gathered and verified.

“February is not really regular signing day anymore,” Herman said in a statement. “It’s almost late signing day with most of our class wrapped up in December. We couldn’t be prouder. We addressed a lot of areas of need, and brought in a lot of guys we think will be able to come in and play early.”

Only Robinson, who has been named the No. 21 player nationally by 247Sports.com and the top overall running back in the nation, is from outside the Lone Star State.

“It’s something we’re extremely proud of: all but one of our recruits in this class are from the state of Texas,” Herman added. “I want to thank the high school coaches here in the state of Texas and their straight-line recruiting model. We take a lot of pride in getting the best of the best in our home state to play for their flagship university, which is the University of Texas.

“We have over 60 guys on our roster from the state of Texas. Recruiting here in this state is going to be our lifeblood. We love going out of state when the interest is reciprocated, but we know that for us to have the kind of success that is expected here, we’ve got to do a great job in our state, and I feel like we’ve done that.”

The 6-foot-5, 285-pound Collins is an All-America, all-state and three-time all-district honoree who was twice named his district’s Defensive Lineman of the Year. He was selected to participate in the 2020 All-American Bowl and amassed 253 total tackles (180 solo), 74 tackles for loss and 18 sacks in his final three seasons at Cedar Creek. He logged 86 tackles (53 solo), 35 tackles for loss, eight sacks, forced four fumbles and three recovered fumbles as a senior.

“With Alfred, it seems like we’ve been recruiting him for forever,” Herman said. “It’s been about two-and-a-half years. All of the boxes were checked a long time ago from a character and work-ethic standpoint. He’s so long and strong, but extremely athletic. He’s a starter on their basketball team and a guy that’s going to do everything right. He’s going to give his teammates everything he’s got every time he steps on the field.”

The 6-foot, 180-pound Dixon is a two-time all-state and all-district honoree who helped Carthage to a state championship in 2019. He was selected honorable mention 4A All-State by the Associated Press in 2019 and tabbed overall MVP of District 10-4A Div. I. He caught 74 passes for 1,240 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior.

He’s also a sprinter and triple jumper, finishing second in the Texas Class 4A triple jump (46-10.75) in 2019, and placing sixth in the 100-meter dash (10.81). Dixon is the brother of Keaontay Ingram, the Longhorns’ junior running back.

“Kelvontay is a fantastic young man,” Herman said. “He goes by ‘Moochie’, so that’s really what I know him as. Obviously, being Keaontay’s little brother, and us having a relationship with that family, made him a no-brainer. With him, you get a ton of speed, a ton of aggressiveness and a knack for finding the football, and you get a guy that has played a lot of different positions in his career in high school.”
[/s2If] [s2If !current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] [habeabk] [/s2If]