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A last minute flip to the Frogs from the Aggies, Shaun Nixon entered his true freshman campaign as one of the more intriguing names on the roster. Despite stiff competition from B.J. Catalon and Aaron Green, he appeared poised to take a significant role in the offense out of fall camp, before the dreaded 'non-contact knee injury' bug bit him prior to the first game.
Back on the field after taking a medical redshirt, the former four star recruit should help pick up the production missed with Catalon's early entry, spelling Green and working alongside Trevorris Johnson and Kyle Hicks to form a four headed monster in the backfield. A native of Austin, and graduate of Lake Travis High, Nixon was rated the #2 back in Texas and top 21 overall. A Scout Texas Top 100 and ESPN 300 player, he was 5A MVP his senior season, and flashed his potential in a playoff game where he went off for 334 yards and five touchdowns. Used both as a running back and a slot receiver, the 5'10", 196 pound rusher has speed to burn and has shown the strength to break tackles and effectively use a stiff arm. With excellent hands a solid route running, he could potentially be a candidate to get some of Deante' Gray's snaps if he isn't cleared in time for Thursday's game (fingers crossed that he is, of course). Shaun averaged 7.5 yards per carry as a prep, rushing for nearly 100 yards per game over the course of his career. He racked up over 3,700 career yards and scored 62 touchdowns, 50 of which were on the ground. He was also a workhorse - carrying the ball 247 times in his sophomore and junior years combined, and 245 times as a senior. That final year he amassed 2,575 total yards as a runner, receiver, punt returner, and kick returner.
Nixon is the type of player that could find his way on to the field in a variety of roles - and be a home run threat every time he touches the ball. He's hoping we see him not one out of the park, just three days from now!