Six years ago, Rashun Dixon was a four-star safety from Terry, Mississippi, set to join his brother Anthony and play football for Mississippi State and then-Bulldogs coach Sylvester Croom.

But when Rashun was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 10th round of that summer’s MLB Draft, he chose to pursue a career in baseball instead.

After six seasons in the Minor Leagues, Dixon was released last fall by the Class A Stockton Ports, and rather than try and catch on with another team he chose to give football another try, enrolling at Mississippi State and joining Dan Mullen’s squad as a walk-on freshman.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder is listed as an “athlete” on the roster, but his No. 85 uniform indicates he will likely play on the offensive side of the ball. At Terry High School just outside of Jackson, Mississippi, Dixon played both wide receiver and defensive back but was recruited as a safety out of the Class of 2008.

His brother, Anthony, was a star tailback at MSU from 2006-09 and rushed for 3,994 yards and 42 touchdowns as a Bulldog.

As a Minor Leaguer in the A’s system, Rashun hit .242 with 59 home runs and 254 RBIs in 550 games over six seasons.