Archbishop Wood tight end Markus Dixon follows the standard set by Kyle Pitts

It wasn’t long after Markus Dixon arrived at Archbishop Wood as a freshman when he started to draw comparisons to one of the program’s most notable college and NFL products.

That top tight end talent, Kyle Pitts, transferred to Wood in 2016 and became a four-star recruit. After Wood, Pitts had an All-American career at Florida before being selected fourth overall in the 2021 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

Dixon, whose 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame is similar to Pitts’ (6-6, 245), matched the archetype Pitts had established of an athletic receiving tight end. That allowed Wood’s coaches to use Dixon in ways they had utilized Pitts.

“Tight end has always been my thing, and getting at Wood, it was like, ‘This guy definitely has Pitts potential,’” Dixon said. “They saw I was athletic and did different things with me.”

It didn’t take Dixon long to realize the standard that Pitts had set at the position. For Dixon, that standard provided a road map for how to play tight end week in and week out in the Philadelphia Catholic League.

“They told me many times that Wood has always been a run program, a run culture,” Dixon said. “Pitts made the catches he had, most of them, so I always took that to heart and learned from him to make the most out of all the receptions I can get.

“It’s a great representation of what’s not only expected, but what should be done. I think he did a phenomenal job at Wood, and we all know where he’s at now.”

Dixon has spent the last few seasons at Wood following Pitts’ standard at the position and emerging as one of the Vikings’ leaders on the field. That leadership proved especially useful last year, when the closure of Bishop McDevitt resulted in 16 players transferring to Wood ahead of Dixon’s junior season.

Among those 16 players was defensive lineman Eric “Scoop” Gardner, with whom Dixon quickly developed a rapport as the pair looked to merge two cultures.

“The chemistry Scoop and I have is just amazing, on and off the field,” Dixon said. “I think everything happens for a reason. With Bishop McDevitt closing down, I think the talent we have over here is just one in the making that Wood has never seen just from adding two different cultures together and creating a whole entire family together.”

Dixon’s leadership responsibilities increased this offseason when new Vikings coach David Armstrong named Dixon as one of his captains. Armstrong had served as an assistant for the Vikings since 2017. He has worked with Dixon since the Warminster native was a freshman. As a result, Armstrong has seen Dixon embrace the high expectations for him, and in the process of doing so, become an embodiment of the Vikings football standard.

“Markus is a Wood kid through and through,” Armstrong said. “I named him a captain because he’s always done the right thing, and he’s always learning and trying to get better. … I’ve said to him, ‘You always do the right thing, and you take care of your business, which I appreciate. But now, you have to take the other guys, especially these younger guys, along with you.’”

Dixon has become a blue-chip recruit, picking up his first Division I offer from Syracuse as a sophomore. His stock continued to rise following his junior year, as he drew offers from the likes of Oregon, Tennessee, and Clemson.

After taking a visit to Clemson in June, he felt at home on campus and committed to the Tigers just over a week later.

“The culture at Clemson just stood out to me,” Dixon said. “It’s a well-rounded program; it’s like a family environment. It felt like my home away from home, and that’s somewhere that I wanted to go for college. The football aspect speaks for itself, [a] highly demanded program in football, and the academics really stand out.”

Conversations with Clemson’s offensive staff on how he’d be utilized also was encouraging to Dixon. The Tigers use at least one tight end, and sometimes two, on the field. Knowing that Clemson valued tight ends in their offensive scheme was a major draw for Dixon.

Now that he’s set to pursue his dream of playing college football, Dixon is focused on making one last statement with his Vikings program.

“It’s all Wood football now,” Dixon said. “It’s just taking everything that I learned last year and critiquing it, having the coaches critique it, and trying to do the best we can on Friday nights. I think this year is going to be very special, and I can’t wait to just go all out on my senior year.”