Dixon may be Floridas top DL

Junior to Watch: Antonio Dixon

School: Miami (Fla.) Washington High School

Position: Defensive Tackle

Size and speed: Dixon is 6-foot-4, weighs 338 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 5.2 seconds. He boasts a 350-pound bench press and squats 450.

Statistics: As a junior, he recorded 55 tackles and seven sacks.

Honors: Was selected third-team Class 4A all-state by the FSWA.

Favorite Schools: Miami, Florida State, Florida, Rutgers.

Skinny: Seeking early candidates for the top defensive line prospects in the Sunshine State?

The line begins with Antonio Dixon, according to the staff at Washington High School.

“We’ve had a ton of coaches come here, and they all tell us he’s the top defensive line prospect in the state,” said Washington assistant coach Paul Volero. “You’re talking about a kid who looks like a coke machine with legs. We just got back from a combine the other day, and he came in at 6-4 and ¼, 338 pounds and ran the 40 in 5.2 seconds. He’s something special.”

Volero said Dixon is a run-stuffer supreme in the mold of NFL standouts Tim Bowens and Russell Maryland.

“Antonio’s a guy that has to be double-teamed every play,” he said. “If you don’t, he’s going to whip the guy in front of him and make the play. Even when double-teamed, he makes a lot of plays. He had 55 tackles and seven sacks for us last year while drawing all that attention.”

According to Volero, he’s also a player who’s still raw in his physical development.

“He’s getting stronger in a hurry,” he said. “He’s maturing and loosing a lot of his baby fat. He’s just now showing a serious interest in lifting and can bench 350.”

Dixon has picked up an early offer from Rutgers and has interest from all of Florida’s major programs. Volero said every Big East team has also shown interest. A handful of SEC teams, including Georiga, Tennessee, LSU and Ole Miss, have contacted his star.

“I don’t think he’s a kid who has a clear-cut favorite at this point,” Volero said. “Obviously, he’s getting a lot of attention from the teams around here, and he knows about them. But he’s a kid who’s always liked playing more than watching, so I think all of this is still kind of new to him. I think he’ll keep an open mind to everybody.”

Dixon expects to attend the Nike camp at Miami this spring. He’s also considering Florida’s summer camp, among other possible destinations.