Head coach Mike Locksley and the Terps have officially added Gerald “Smoke” Dixon as the new general manager.
Dixon becomes the first to hold the title for the program and joins Maryland after one season as Vanderbilt’s director of scouting. He was reported as an expected hire back on February 17.
Prior to Vanderbilt, Dixon began working with the XFL’s D.C. Defenders as part of a three-man personnel staff back in 2019 before the league was suspended due to COVID-19. “That was my first opportunity to actually run an organization, and it was awesome. That’s the best I’ve felt since the Citadel, in terms of being hands-on and totally involved, and being invested,” Dixon said in an interview last year.
Dixon also worked in the Buffalo Bills front office as a pro scout starting back in 2014, and after general manager Brandon Beane let the Bills’ front office go in 2017, Dixon was still retained by the team as a scout. He’ll now bring that expertise to College Park, an area he’s plenty familiar with.
Dixon, a one-time Paint Branch standout, was a one-time Maryland commit himself before eventually signing with Alabama where he was eventually named to the freshman All-SEC team. After playing professionally in the NFL then CFL for five seasons, Dixon began his coaching career at Coral Park Miami Senior High School before moving onto The Citadel where he coached cornerbacks, defensive line, safeties and outside linebackers.
He’ll help strengthen the Terps’ local footprint while scouting the future classes to build the Terps’ recruiting boards.
“You also want to study what plays and what’s going to project in the next five years because you can’t build your team for now. You have to build your team for what’s going to be the next wave,” Dixon added. “Understanding my last jobs, and dealing with professionals, and seeing what the talent is, that’s how I approach recruiting.”
Dixon fills the vacancy on the recruiting staff following Marcus Berry’s departure last month.
Maryland football spring practice begins on March 29 with the spring game set for April 30.