Cristian Dixon gives Mater Dei big-time playmaker

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) has a lot of talent returning from last year's team that won its second consecutive CIF Open Division state championship but one key position they have to replace is at wide receiver.

The 2018 MaxPreps National Player of the Year Bru McCoy is now at Texas and the Monarchs' second leading receiver (Mike Martinez) was an All-American selection at the tight end position and will be at UCLA next year. The top five receivers for Mater Dei in 2018 were all seniors.

Luckily for the Santa Ana power they added one of the best playmakers from the Class of 2021 in former Diamond Ranch (Pomona) 4-star athlete Cristian Dixon. During his sophomore season he led the Panthers in receptions (43), receiving yards (862), and touchdowns (9). He checks in as a Top 100 player overall on 247sports composite rankings and is the No. 8 player from California among all rising juniors.

Dixon already has 11 FBS offers to his name that include USC, Arizona State, Notre Dame, and LSU and expect the offers to keep coming.

Expect Dixon and 2020 USC commit Bryce Young to be one of the best duos in the country next season. A couple of other playmakers that should have bigger roles in 2019 include 3-star wide receiver Kody Epps and 2021 prospect Kyron Ware-Hudson.