GBK Exclusive: Q&A with Army Cornerbacks Coach, Daryl Dixon

When you look at the continuous progression of the Army defense over the past 5 years under head coach Jeff Monken, the stats, analytics and the 2018 national ranking (19th) is a true reflection that the staff truly has a blue print that is working at the highest level.

One of the key members to this success is former outside linebackers coach and newly named cornerbacks coach, Daryl Dixon.

Dixon, who is starting his 4th season with the Black Knights, has a football resume that extremely impressive, both as coach and as collegiate player.

He is a graduate (2003) of the University of Florida, where he showed off his talents at cornerback for the Gators, with 25 starts under his belt and was one of the team’s captains during his senior football campaign.

You can also add NFL to his resume, as he spent the 2004 and 2005 season with the Indianapolis Colts.

But where we sit, Dixon’s reputation within the ranks of Army football is one of a being really intelligent about the game, a great teacher, great role model and highly respected amongst his peers.

The move to coaching the corners, is probably a welcome change, because in essence and when it comes to defensive positions, well he’s coached all of them.

Our feeling is that he can coach anything ... great fundamental teacher. He will be good for the corners and Dixon and Coach Josh Christian-Young together is a a great coaching tandem.

GoBlackKnights.com had an opportunity to catch up with Dixon for this Q&A session:

GBK: Many fans may not know that you played safety for the Florida Gators. Take us back to your time playing SEC football ... meaning, who was your coach there, what years did you actually play and more importantly, how did that time impact how you operate today as a coach?

Dixon: I was at Florida from 1999 - 2003. I was a freshman All-American going in and my first year I started as a true freshman after about the 5th game. My career from there was kind of up and down ... some injuries kind of derailed it. Actually, I redshirted my true senior year and played a 5th year and again, I was an All-SEC player, as well as All-Academic SEC.

I played under Steve Spurrier for three years and Ron Zook for two years.

As anybody would say, those were the best years of my life and a chance to play for my state school. Not only play in the SEC, but some contributions as a leader on campus, develop as a young man and I wouldn’t take it back for the world.

How has it impacted me today? {laughing} Playing at that level is a little different than the normal college football organization. So what I take from that mostly is my education. Meaning, when you finish, even playing at that high level, the most important thing is getting that degree. Even though I did some really good things on the football field and in the classroom, but not a lot of offers after that. So I take from that real world consequences, but you still have to handle your business in the classroom and on the football field. As you know, football is a hard game and it’s even harder when you are losing or if you don’t graduate.

I’ve also learned from a lot of great coaches, but I kind of have my own style; I think you don’t coach every guy the same, players are all motivated by different things.

GBK: Your coaching reputation is one of being really intelligent, a great teacher as well as a great role model. As such, can you talk about the transition you have made from being the outside linebacker coach during your tenure here at Army and now becoming the cornerbacks coach?

Dixon: My original background is that I played safety at Florida ... kind of my bread and butter and what I grew up knowing. Throughout my career, and the exciting thing for me was learning to coach that position. The outside linebacker position, which is completely different from being a defensive back coach. A cornerback is different from [Kenneth] Brinson or an Alex Aukerman, right? But it’s helped developed my philosophy of who I am and help me learn. As much as I learn the positions, I have had players that have help me learn in that position.

GBK: Speaking of corners ... you have experience and quality coming back at the positions and Elijah Riley is leading the charge. Can you talk about your expectation from this group with other like Javhari Bourdeau and if he returns, Julian McDuffie?

Dixon: Obviously last year Elijah had a great year and like you said, we have a mix of experience guys coming back, but we are going to have to rely on youth at some point ... because injuries happen or other things. I expect big things from Elijah is at point now where he’s in his career he has done a lot of great things, teammates recognize him as being a team captain ... so I expect him to uphold that mold and not need a push from me. He’s earn that right and I expect him to take that and run with it.

Going down the line and coming out of spring, guys like Mallkelm Morrison, Caleb John, Akyah Miranda ... guys that haven’t played much football, but are need to be counted on during the season. That is going to be my main focus this preseason and that’s getting those guys to a level where when they step out on the field nobody is a “freshman” or nobody is behind the ball. So get them experience in playing in the pre-season, but also giving them the mental edge that they can go out there and compete with anybody no matter what their experience level is.

GBK: The 2018 season was marked by several great individual and team accomplishments and moments. For you, what has been the greatest moment that you experienced during last year’s football campaign?

Dixon: Greatest experience? Oh man! Last year was a tremendous experience. I would say the best experience would be the defeat in Oklahoma [Sooners]. Because the first game [vs. Duke] we didn’t perform they way would like being the first game of the year. We were on the same path as we were in 2017 and initially going into Oklahoma last year, not knowing what kind of club we were and I’m not saying collectively, but myself right now and after that game, our guys realized that they could play with anybody in the country.

So this pre-season and going into this year ... what kind of team are we going to be ... are we going to rest on our laurels and think that we are good team and not really work as you need, especially with the quality guys that we have and so work to stay as a Top 25 team, as a 10-11 win team and I think coming out of Oklahoma, that hurt our guys and they realized that the mistakes that we had been making and if we minimize those and just play the way the coaches are telling us to play, then we can play with anybody.

So I think that was the moment for me that was best. Obviously winning the CiC for the first time in 26 years and winning it a 2nd time, which is great, but the thing that really stuck out to me was how our team responded after the Oklahoma loss.

GBK: Final question. Former DC Jay Bateman is now coaching at the University of North Carolina, and John Loose was promoted to DC. From John’s brief stint (bowl game vs. Houston) and your last 4 years working along side of him, what changes do you anticipate coming from Coach Loose relative to the Army style of play on defense?

Dixon: I tell you what. If we all could take pieces of Jay Bateman for what he’s done for Army defenses and for us as coaches and collectively into this year and kind of take that model that he stapled and established going forward, and working with him for 5-years, every day in that staff room it was a mentality of we are going to attack and we are not going to play defense with our hands behind our back and I think Coach Loose in his previous stop, he was the same way. He’s not going to sit back and wait, we’re going to force the issue and that’s his mindset and you saw that during the bowl game. So it’s his chance to put his finger print on the Army defense. We attack people ... 10 sacks or whatever it was against Houston and that’s not going to change. Coach Loose has the same mentality that Coach Bateman did, which is to stop people with aggression

**To chat with other Army fans about this article and more, please visit The 12th Knight message board**