Once-promising star dismissed from USC, SDSU pigskin squads Once considered the No. 1 college football running back prospect in the United States, former Mission Bay High star Dillon Baxter appears to be in a self-induced freefall. Only six weeks after Baxter transferred to San Diego State University (SDSU) to resurrect his once-promising future, Baxter has been dismissed from the Aztecs team before touching a football. The 20-year-old’s once-shining star has seemingly been reduced to a flicker. “Dillon and I understand each other,” said Aztecs head coach Rocky Long when Baxter enrolled in January after losing his spot on the University of Southern California (USC) team last year. Long made it very clear to local news media that Baxter would receive no special treatment if he expected to earn a spot on the 2013 SDSU roster after sitting out the 2012 season per national college transfer rules. Baxter’s problems at SDSU began almost immediately when Long announced Baxter would not take part in current spring drills with the team, saying Baxter needed to focus on his studies. Then, several weeks later at February’s end, Long made a brief statement, saying Baxter “is no longer part of the program.” Pressed for details, Long cited “various reasons.” Reports said Baxter was not attending classes regularly (also an issue at USC) and that he would often fall asleep during study-hall sessions. Baxter is also caring for a newborn baby. A Los Angeles Times article said Baxter fathered a son in January. Baxter was booted from the USC team by head coach Lane Kiffin after a series of team rules violations and other incidents resulted in two suspensions. Baxter’s problems began shortly after his enrollment for the spring 2010 semester was covered by national news media. Originally dubbed “the next Reggie Bush” for the Trojans, Kiffin called Baxter a “distraction” to his team, which had a 6-1 record when the troubled star was sent packing at mid-season. Baxter holds many San Diego prep records, including accounting for 79 touchdowns in 2009, passing for 1,968 yards while rushing for 2,984 more as the Mission Bay High Buccaneers quarterback. With two years of college eligibility remaining, Baxter may yet find a spot, although such options are likely to be extremely limited because of his college football history. He will also be eligible for the professional football draft in 2013, but with several years of inactivity, teams may be reluctant to draft a young man with Baxter’s troubled past. Another ex-Trojan, Brice Butler, has transferred to SDSU. A wide receiver, Butler is expected to contribute immediately to the Aztec offense. Because he has already graduated from USC, the 6 foot 3 inch, 195-pound Butler will be eligible to use his final year of eligibility immediately in 2012.
