Furiously fast Utah receiver Jaylen Dixon burst onto the scene in 2018 by learning to harness his own speed

Fast doesn’t mean open.

Speed doesn’t even equal targets.

And just because you might possess a skill that allows you to run beyond an opponent at a normal clip doesn’t mean that you’re going to become a focal point of any offense. Jaylen Dixon learned that from a young age, and even now, as a redshirt freshman at the University of Utah, he still is. In high school, he tried playing basketball in the offseason. But it wasn’t for him. Looking back, the wide receiver said he was “just too fast for myself” on the court.

He felt too boxed in, too cramped, not enough open space to sprint and not only get open, but feel open. Dixon is one of the fastest players on this year’s Utah team, a 5-foot-9, 165-pound dart on the field. Without his ability to zoom by defensive backs, he wouldn’t be what he’s turned into for this Utes offense: a field-stretcher, a guy who can find himself unmarked as far as 50 yards up the field, this year’s deep threat.

“I always knew he was one of the fastest guys on the team,” junior wideout Demari Simpkins said. “He can run past anybody.”

It took some time to figure it out, though. It took time to harness that speed and use it to his advantage against higher-caliber opposition. Dixon ended up redshirting his freshman year in 2017, a season in which he said he sat and watched and learned that it would take more time to iron out his route-running, finding those open pockets of space out of the slot, or if he’s going long — as he’s become accustomed to doing in 2018 — finding enough separation to make those big plays when called upon.

Simpkins said he recalls the frustration Dixon felt, knowing he could make an impact, but waiting a bit longer than he’d initially hoped. The Frisco, Texas, native had to be smarter with his speed, Simpkins said. Utah receivers coach Guy Holliday put it more succinctly: “Sometimes, really fast guys, they just run.”

Holliday wasn’t speaking specifically about Dixon, he was elaborating on the makings of how a wideout becomes a consistent deep threat. It starts with the basics: being reliable when your number’s called, understanding coverages, coverage rotations and, of course, the ability to run and run faster than just about anyone else.

It clicked in 2018, as now-former offensive coordinator Troy Taylor found that he could keep one small, shifty receiver like Britain Covey a threat in short yardage scenarios and another, like Dixon, long. It worked. Dixon is second on the team in reception yards with 475. He holds a team-high 20.65 yards per catch average. As the season wore on, whether it with Tyler Huntley or Dixon’s high school teammate Jason Shelley behind center, they often looked for No. 25 when he was getting down the field in the blink of an eye.

“My main thing, to be honest with you, was to do anything to help this team win,” Dixon said. “I had no real specific goals, catches, yards, things like that. My main thing was to help my team win. I feel like throughout this season I’ve done that. I’ve helped.”

Dixon credited Taylor’s help with his development, pointing to weekly practices and the repetitive nature of his role in the offense as a gradual turning point. There was no catch or game that changed 2018 for Dixon. It just slowly started picking up steam. Just like the Utah offense. Holliday said while Utah’s loss to Washington in September was rough, it proved to Dixon that yes, he could become the receiver he’s wanted to all along.

“To realize against top talent, he can get open … Washington has one of the best secondaries in the conference,” Holliday said.

For Simpkins, it was the Nov. 17 win at Colorado in which Dixon racked up 125 yards on four catches in a snowstorm.

“It was like he was running on air,” Simpkins said. “He really opened a lot of people’s eyes.”

When a play’s called and it’s Dixon’s turn to flick on the boosters and get open way down the field, it does feel different. There is a specific adrenaline about it. Nothing against your usual 6-yard routes. Jaylen Dixon just knows what he does best. Same goes for Utah fans.

“When I’m going deep, you feel it,” he said. “You see that space, your eyes get big, just knowing it’s a big play about to come up.”