Former South Carolina linebacker Gerald Dixon admits he is about to cause the Southeastern Conference a lot of confusion.
Dixon, who played for the Gamecocks in 1990-91 before a 10-year NFL career with Cleveland, Cincinnati and San Diego, has two sons in Rock Hill, S.C., who are five months apart in age. One is a 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive tackle named Gerald, while the other is a 6-2, 260-pound defensive end named Gerald.
Earlier this month, the two Gerald Dixon prospects decided to follow in their father’s footsteps by committing to the Gamecocks.
“I could see where this could get difficult,” a laughing Gerald Sr. said of the situation. “It’s like the old Bob Newhart show when Larry would say, ‘This is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl.’ It’s just going to be one of those things, but I think they will distinguish themselves by the way they play.”
The older of the two, the defensive tackle, goes by Gerald Jr. The younger goes by Gerald Gervaris.