Highly touted Dillon Baxter looks to make impact at SDSU

When he announced his intent to play football for the University of Southern California (USC) in 2009, prolific Mission Bay High School (MBHS) quarterback-running back Dillon Baxter was compared to former Trojan and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush by incoming USC head coach Lane Kiffin. Now, less than two years later, Baxter’s dream of stardom as a Trojan is over and he has quietly enrolled for the spring semester at San Diego State University (SDSU), hoping to resurrect his career as an Aztec instead. Baxter and USC wide receiver teammate Brice Butler joined Oregon State quarterback Ryan Katz to form a trio of players from Pac-12 universities transferring to SDSU. But Baxter won’t be playing with the others this season. Under NCAA rules, Baxter must sit out the 2012 season but will then have two years of eligibility left with the Aztecs beginning in 2013. Butler and Katz, on the other hand, will be eligible to play in 2012 but both will have graduated by fall and have only one year of eligibility remaining.  The trio can, however, participate in all team activities in the interim, including offseason workouts, currently under way. Spring football at SDSU begins Feb. 21. Four other players joined the Aztecs at the semester break, and the national letter-of-intent signing day for incoming freshmen was Feb. 1. In a local news media report, SDSU head coach Rocky Long refused to discuss Baxter until he is eligible to play, saying only “Dillon and I understand each other.” After leading the Buccaneers to an undefeated 13-0 record and the 2009 CIF Div. IV title in his senior season at Mission Bay High, Baxter was one of the most highly recruited members of the class of 2010 in the country. News of his signing with USC was covered by ESPN and other national news media, and when Baxter graduated early from Mission Bay High and enrolled in the spring on the Trojan campus, he was seen as a future superstar. But Baxter’s dream never materialized. After a sensational run during an early Trojan scrimmage in which he used brilliant moves to make numerous would-be tacklers miss, Baxter appeared on his way to stardom. Video of his run was carried on nationwide sports shows and also received 1.8 million hits on YouTube. But before his first game for USC, Baxter found himself suspended from the team “for violating team rules” and did not travel to the opener in Hawaii. USC’s Department of Public Safety filed a report about an unnamed student “violating team curfew” and “being under the influence of a controlled substance” at the players’ training camp dormitory. The Los Angeles Times said a source identified Baxter as the unnamed student and that officers allegedly smelled marijuana in the dorm. Kiffin said the suspension was for an accumulation of things that occurred since Baxter arrived at USC in January 2010. Baxter later told the news media he learned a valuable lesson. Saying he needed to “stop acting like a knucklehead,” Baxter went on to say, “I’ve got to be smart with the things I do and realize that I’m under a microscope and (I’ve) just got to be a leader (and) do the right things.” Later that season, Baxter accepted a golf-cart ride offer from another student who was, oddly, a listed National Football League (NFL) agent. Baxter was suspended again for this NCAA rule violation. Baxter played a limited role with the Trojans in the early part of his sophomore season last year after being described in USC preseason notes as a “back with limited starts to (his) name.” Baxter did not travel with the Trojans to South Bend, Ind. where USC defeated Notre Dame on Oct. 22. After 12 total offensive touches in the first four Trojan games last season, Baxter’s name disappeared from the stat sheets and, on Oct. 25, Kiffin announced Baxter would not be part of the football program so that Baxter could focus on academic issues. The next day, The Los Angeles Times reported Baxter “is no longer part of USC’s team, likely ending the Trojan’s career of an elite recruit after less than two seasons.” Kiffin refused to answer questions, calling the situation a “distraction” to his team and its 6-1 record at the time. Baxter was released from his USC scholarship and planned to complete his semester there before transferring to SDSU. DILLON BAXTER’S HONORS DURING TIME AT MBHS

• Prep Star All-American • EA Sports Mr. Football USA • Max Preps National Player of the Year • U.S. Army Ken Hall National Player of the Year • Parade All-American All-Purpose MVP • EA Sports All-American first team • Super Prep All-American • Max Preps All-American first team • Max Preps All-American Medium School National Player of the Year • Super Prep Elite 50  • Prep Star Dream Team • Super Prep All-Farwest Offensive Player of the Year • Prep Star All-West, Orange County Register Fab 15 first team  • Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first team • Tacoma News Tribune Western 100 • Cal-Hi Sports California Mr. Football Player of the Year  • Max Preps California Division II Player of the Year • Cal-Hi Sports All-State first team  • Cal-Hi Sports All-State Medium Schools Player of the Year • All-CIF San Diego Player of the Year — SOURCE: University of Southern California media guide BAXTER’S 2009 MBHS STATS

Baxter completed 102-of-166 passes (61.4 percent) for 1,968 yards with 26 TDs and just seven interceptions and ran for a San Diego record 2,984 yards on 261 carries (11.4 avg.) with 50 TDs (he also caught a TD pass) while accounting for a state record 79 touchdowns on offense, had two interceptions and scored twice on defense and returned nine punts for 117 yards (13.0 avg.) and 11 kickoffs for 179 yards (16.3 avg.).