WR Nixon adds speed to UCF

A thought burrowed itself deep in the back of Tre Nixon’s mind.

“What if I can’t even play?”

The wide receiver made the difficult choice to transfer from Ole Miss to UCF so that he could play closer to home. He needed a special waiver from the NCAA to become immediately eligible for the 2018 season.

“It took a lot of thought and prayer,” Nixon recalled of his decision to transfer.

After an investigation into the Ole Miss athletics department uncovered rule violations in the football program, the NCAA eventually ruled rising seniors could transfer without having to sit out a year. Nixon participated in UCF spring practice wondering how long he would have to wait to play in a game because he wasn’t entering his senior season.

“There was a lot of weight on my shoulders, but when I got cleared, it was a blessing,” Nixon said. “Now I can put my head down and grind.”

Ask teammates and coaches to describe Nixon and one word repeatedly pops up: fast.

“He’s a fast guy that we can’t wait to use,” said UCF wide receiver Dredrick Snelson.

UCF coach Josh Heupel lauded Nixon’s focus.

“The best thing about him to me and what we’re trying to preach to all of our players is that you have to have the same mentality, the same attitude, you’ve got to attack every day the same way and he’s done that,” Heupel said. “He’s very consistent in his approach.”