It was a simple sweep around right end for nine yards against an overmatched Kent State team, but the quick burst past the Golden Flash defensive end showed the exact reason Johnnie Dixon caught Urban Meyer's eye at Dwyer High School in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Dixon, a four-star wide receiver and member of the 2014 recruiting class, ran the ball three more times and tallied 20 yards on the ground in his team's 66-0 thrashing of Kent State that day in Ohio Stadium.
It was the last time we saw Dixon in full pads for the Buckeyes during their run at the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship.
Meyer announced Sept. 25 Dixon would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair tendonitis in both knees. Ohio State's head coach expected him to be ready to participate for the duration of spring practice, but that wasn't the case.
"He came back and started off real strong and then kind of got re-dinged (this spring), our whole goal and mentality right now is get him healthy," Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith said April 7. "Get him to 100 percent and then let's get him ready."
Dixon already had his hands full as a true freshman, competing for playing time in a crowded wide receivers room with guys like Devin Smith, Evan Spencer, Michael Thomas and many others. It makes sense that 2015 needs to be a bounce back year for the burner from Florida, but Smith made it clear priority No. 1 is getting him back to playing condition.
"He's going to be ready," Smith said. "He has everything there to be ready to go be a guy that we can count on, but he's just, we haven't had him healthy to do that yet."
Dixon's been seen at the Adventure Recreation Center on campus this summer doing various activities with one of his classes, albeit not at full-go. After all, it's class.
He also told Cleveland.com at the Ohio State Career Fair May 29 that he's currently about 75 percent and slowly progressing his way back.
"He's going to be ready. He has everything there to be ready to go be a guy that we can count on, but he's just, we haven't had him healthy to do that yet."– Zach Smith on Johnnie Dixon
"Johnnie has the skill set and we see, kind of like some of these young guys, you see flashes every now but he's just gotta get healthy," Smith said.
Smith added that Dixon's been catching passes while running on underwater treadmills as part of his rehabilitation, just like others who are battling back from injury, like James Clark.
Dixon's potential has always been something to gloat about for Ohio State. He snagged 17 passes for 366 yards and six touchdowns during the Florida Class 7A state playoffs his senior season at Dwyer.
And while he's still a little ways from being fully healthy again, there shouldn't be cause for concern on whether or not he can produce at a place like Ohio State.
"He's not ready, but I would hope he wouldn't be ready because he hasn't really been through a full ... he went through spring and then we really felt good about where he was at and then he was dinged up the rest of fall," Smith said.
Hopefully for Ohio State, Dixon can get back to playing at the level he was when he committed.
