Photo taken from Twitter

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By Todderick Hunt | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

On Friday, Rutgers landed 6-4, 215-pound post-graduate Malik Dixon, who has two years of eligibility remaining, following a stint at USF and junior college stints at Itawamba Community College (Fulton, Miss.) and Eastern Arizona Community College (Thatcher, Az.), where he played this season. However, Dixon will visit the school for the first time Sunday when he touches down to enroll and begin class and practice. NJ Advance Media caught up with Dixon for a Q & A session to preview his Rutgers career as well as find out exactly how he got to the banks.

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How did Dixon commit before visiting?

"I didn’t get down on a visit. And picking a school before seeing it first isn't something I would normally do. But it just felt right and I decided it was the best decision for me, based on the relationship we'd built.”

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Why did Dixon pick Rutgers?

“I liked what the new coaching staff is trying to do at Rutgers. They are trying to turn the program around and trying to bring Rutgers back and everything. And I like what the team is also trying to do. They’re buying into what the new coaches are trying to do and what they’re trying to say. And just the relationship with coach Busch. It sounds like I keep repeating myself but me and him, we just kept staying in touch and kept building a connection throughout the process.

"He’s probably one of the coaches I built the best connection with me coming out of high school or me coming out of JUCO. He’s probably the coach I’ve talked to the most and built such a strong relationship with. So I just thought I never built a relationship like that before with a coach, so it’s a blessing to be coached by him.”

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Why did Dixon leave USF in the first place?

“When the coaching change happened, it just wasn’t the same. And I just thought it was in my best interest for my future for me to try a different direction, try something different. It just wasn’t working out personally between me and the coaching change and I decided it would be best for me to part ways and go a different direction in my life and try another opportunity.”

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What will Dixon play at Rutgers?

Although Dixon prefers to play in the secondary, he says he's open to do whatever it takes and will play whatever position the team needs.

“Wherever they put me at when I get there. So far they told me nickel. But wherever they put me at when I get there I’m gonna do my best and compete as best as I can and do what they want me to do and do what’s best for the team.”

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#Rutgers adds JUCO defensive help as hybrid Malik Dixon commits to Scarlet Knights #RFootball #B1G https://t.co/THnDq4eltd — Todderick Hunt (@TodderickHunt) January 6, 2018

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How will Dixon deal with the cold?

"I’ve never been up there at all. It was tough going to Arizona, especially in December. It just started getting cold at night. So that was the first time I was introduced to the cold. We travelled to Utah where I was introduced to the cold too. It was way different from Florida weather because Florida weather doesn’t get passed like 60 degrees. So it was different being in weather under like 40, 30 degrees and playing in weather like that, but then I was just like I’ve got to suck it up and play to the best of my abilities.”

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How did Dixon's Rutgers recruitment begin?

Busch learned of Dixon via his long-time relationship with Eastern Arizona head coach John O'Mera, who he once coached beside.

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Dixon tells me his short stint at Itawamba before joining the team at Eastern Arizona was just to finish up a class. That's why he arrived late at EAC. — Todderick Hunt (@TodderickHunt) January 6, 2018

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Dixon has no other Rutgers ties

“It was just coach Busch got in contact with me and we just kept in touch and kept going back and forth throughout the season and after the season. It was just a good feeling and I decided it was the right move to make.”

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Photo taken from Twitter

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In what areas has Dixon improved since high school?

“I’ve definitely improved on my discipline and working hard and basically trying to work on my fundamentals more than just to working on my athleticism.”

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Additional notes

Dixon has two years to play two.

Dixon red-shirted his first year at USF (2015), where he was set to bump down from the secondary to linebacker and play a significant role as a sophomore before tearing his labrum and ending his season.

He's received offers from Oregon, Marshall, Tulsa and Youngstown since going JUCO.

He carries a 2.8 GPA and plans to major in communications.

Dixon was a first-team all-conference defensive selection in 2017, after generating 41 tackles, six INTs and a punt return TD.

Dixon was a three-star recruit coming out of Port Charlotte (Fla.) high school.

He also held offers from Iowa State, Temple, UAB, UCF, Western Kentucky and Appalachian State, but settled on USF on Jan. 25, 2015.

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Todderick Hunt may be reached at thunt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TodderickHunt. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.