UConn Football WR Keyion Dixon and QB Marvin Washington To Transfer

UConn football lost a pair of promising young players as wide receiver Keyion Dixon and quarterback Marvin Washington announced their intention to transfer via social media. Dixon just completed his redshirt sophomore year while Washington finished his redshirt freshman season.

Dixon, a native of Glastonbury, Connecticut, originally came to Storrs under former head coach Bob Diaco. Listed at 6-foot-3, Dixon’s size made him a match-up problem and his speed made him a dynamic threat with the ball in his hands.

During his first season of play in 2017, Dixon set the school’s freshman record with 360 yards on 33 receptions. But as a sophomore, Dixon only caught 11 passes for 147 yards as he saw more of a role on special teams. In 2018, he returned 23 kicks for 452 yards.

With the departure of Dixon, the Huskies will need to rely on unproven, young talent next season. In total, UConn’s returning receivers caught a total of four passes last season. The team is also adding Seton Hill transfer Ardell Brown, who caught 81 passes for 1,267 yards and eight touchdowns last year at the Division II level.

As for Washington, he came to UConn as a signing day flip from conference rival UCF in 2017. After redshirting, he played in three games this past season as David Pindell’s backup. Washington went 9-24 for 147 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions — most of which came deep into garbage time.

In November, head coach Randy Edsall announced Washington would not play the rest of the season so he could focus on academics. Throughout his time, Washington dealt with a few minor off-the-field issues, though nothing overly concerning. He was still expected to compete for the starting quarterback job in 2019.

Even with Washington leaving, UConn has a handful of options at quarterback next season. The Huskies recently brought in NC State transfer Micah Leon — possibly because they were expecting Washington’s departure.

They also added graduate transfer Mike Beaudry, who threw for 3,215 yards, 29 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions at Division II West Florida en route to the DII title game. Other options include redshirt freshman Steve Krajewski and incoming freshman Jack Zergiotis.