Nat Dixon made a leap of faith when he decided to walk away from a football scholarship at an Atlantic Coast Conference program and go back to his first love, basketball.
He made another leap recently and hopes this one is just as beneficial.
The 6-foot-5 Dixon recently decided to continue his basketball career at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, becoming the program's fourth commitment for the 2016-17 season.
"I chose UTC because it was just where I feel comfortable and trust the coaching staff 100 percent," Dixon said.
The spring signing period begins Wednesday and ends on May 18.
The collegiate career for the Panama City, Fla., native actually started in a football uniform, as he spent a season at Boston College. As a wide receiver, he played in six games as a freshman, making one catch for 6 yards against Maine.
The three-star prospect on the gridiron had UTC on his offer sheet when he picked the Eagles in 2014.
He left Boston after a season, transferring to East Mississippi Junior College - the same school that produced current Moc Chuck Ester - and averaged 12 points while making 41 3-pointers in his lone basketball season.
"I just love basketball more," he said about the change in sport. "It's where my heart was really at."
He's pretty good in the sport where his heart is. Dixon led Mosley High School in Florida in scoring in each of his final two seasons, leading the state (all classifications) at over 28 points per game his junior year.
He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining and could fill a gap left by graduating guard Dee Oldham, who despite coming off the bench had become one of the Mocs' leading scorers by the end of the season, topping 10 points or more in nine of their last 11 games.
"I just want to come in and help in any way possible to win the (Southern) conference and get back to the NCAA tournament," Dixon said.
He joins guards David Jean-Baptiste, Rodney Chatman and Makale Foreman as commitments for next season.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.