Nixon in good company

He’s 18, still just a kid, really. But Xavier Nixon has already accumulated a stack of memorable snapshot moments from his stellar athletic career at Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville, N.C.

Now comes the biggest and the brightest of all — the moment the All-America offensive tackle signs his national letter of intent with the University of Florida this morning in a ceremony at his school.

“It will be one of the most happy times of my life,” he said Monday.

With his mother by his side, this will be one of those wonderful moments the family will always remember. But the picture won’t be perfect, because his father won’t be in it. Kenneth Nixon is on the other side of the world, a command sergeant major serving in Kandahar, Afghanistan — one of his many deployments to the war-torn region.

“It’s tough. You want your parents to be here, and you want to know they’re safe,” Xavier Nixon said. “It’s something I’ve had to cope with. But you learn to adjust. You kind of get used to it.”

What makes it doubly tough is the fact that Nixon’s mother, Fotini Nixon, also is in the Army, a master sergeant whose unit has been deployed to Iraq several times over the past few years. At the moment, she is stationed at nearby Fort Bragg.

When Xavier Nixon reviews the mental snapshots of his high school career, many are missing one or both of his parents. Kenneth Nixon missed his son’s senior season. At one stage, both parents were deployed at the same time for more than a year, while Xavier lived with his grandmother.

These are the kind of sacrifices military men and women make serving their country.

“It’s been hard on Xavier, and hard on us,” Fotini Nixon said. “But Xavier was born into the military. This is the lifestyle he’s known his whole life. I’ve heard him being interviewed before and he’s said, ‘This is normal to me.’”

Fotini said the hardest time was when she and Xavier’s father were both deployed from October 2004 to November 2005. She said she didn’t fully realize the toll until she returned home to her young son.

“Tears came to my eyes when I saw him,” Fotini said. “It was total shock. My son had grown six inches and lost weight.

“Something I found out recently ... he said our deployments made him become independent. He used to be very expressive about his feelings. He felt when we were deployed he needed to depend on himself and keep things to himself.

“I was used to my son hugging and kissing on me. When we came back, that was gone. He keeps his emotions shielded very well. He was just a child (when we left). He’s a grown man now.”

In a football sense, he’s a grown man who is still growing. He’s 6-foot-7, 260 pounds, and said he plans to put on 40 pounds (and more muscle) between now and the time he arrives in Gainesville this summer.

Nixon is rated the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the nation by recruiting guru Tom Lemming. Rivals.com ranks him third.

Jack Britt football coach Richard Bailey said the Gators are getting more than a five-star recruit in Nixon. They’re also getting a five-star person.

“He’s an exceptional kid with great parents,” Bailey said. “He’s a good student who takes honors classes, and he’s never been in any trouble. His parents are both drill sergeants, so you can imagine what it was like growing up. He’s very disciplined and very dedicated, and that comes from his parents and the military upbringing. He’s always going to do things the right way.

“The first day his mother dropped him off in the ninth grade, she said that anything short of killing him, I could do. He and his parents have always been receptive to doing whatever it takes to get better.”

Bailey said Nixon is the best player/person he’s ever coached.

“He has all the intangibles and a tremendous work ethic,” Bailey said. “He’s as close to a can’t-miss guy as you can have.

“I’ve had guys who were more talented, but not many that have great character, grades and (are) super outside of school. There are some kids where you say, ‘I love this kid, but he’s got relatives looking for a handout or he’s got some other baggage.’ Xavier doesn’t have any buts. His parents have had a great influence on him.”

Florida coach Urban Meyer always talks about recruiting high-character, accountable players. Nixon seems to fit the description.

Nixon’s first connection with Meyer and Florida came last summer, when Nixon, his mother and Bailey and his wife visited campus. It was the last leg of a trip that saw the group make stops at Auburn and LSU.

“Halfway through the trip, we thought let’s go back, everybody is tired,” Bailey said. “My wife said, ‘We’ve come this far, let’s go to Florida.’ We went and the campus was beautiful and we were all impressed by the academic facilities and the stadium.

“Xavier and his mother were really impressed after listening to Coach Meyer talking about the family atmosphere at Florida. That really rang true in Mrs. Nixon’s eyes.”

Xavier and his mother returned to UF for his official visit on the weekend of the Miami game. By the end of the visit, Fotini Nixon said she knew Florida was where her son belonged.

“I felt it in my heart,” she said.

Xavier had that feeling, too, although he kept it to himself.

“When we came back for the LSU game (with his mother and five high school teammates), that’s pretty much when I committed,” he said. “I really loved the family atmosphere and the school and Coach Meyer. And I really liked the players. (I bonded) with the Pouncey twins (Maurkice and Michael) and Janoris Jenkins. And Jeff Demps, he showed me around. I really liked the opportunities at Florida.”

Kenneth Nixon also bonded with Meyer and the Gators, even though he was in Afghanistan throughout the recruiting process.

“Coach Meyer and the other coaches maintained contact with him,” Fotini said. “They would exchange e-mails. When we visited, we told my husband to call at a certain time and he had a chance to talk to Coach Meyer. It was nice. When (offensive line coach) Steve Addazio visited us (in Fayetteville), he called my husband in Afghanistan and they had a great conversation.

“My husband feels the same way about Florida and those coaches that we do. I like the fact Coach Meyer looks after his players and that Xavier will have a good home away from home.”

Once he arrives in Gainesville, Nixon will have a chance to crack UF’s two-deep at offensive tackle, where both starters must be replaced and UF has limited numbers. Bailey said Nixon will be physically and mentally ready to compete.

“I know they’re hoping he’ll be able to play early,” Bailey said. “I think he could play next year. He’ll probably be 290 by the time he gets there. He’ll still be skinny (at that weight) in the way that he looks and moves. He’s a very athletic big guy.

“One of the things that makes him a special player is his ability to go at high levels for a long time. His cardio is uncanny. He played both offense and defense for us. He played all night and never asked to come out. You could never tell when he was tired.”

Part of his cardio can be traced to his first love, basketball. It is a sport Nixon was putting ahead of football before Bailey had a long visit with the Nixon family after Xavier’s sophomore season.

“I laid it out to him and his parents that he could be a special, major deal if he concentrated on football and worked his rear end off,” Bailey said. “I pointed out that they’re weren’t many 6-6 centers in the NBA, but there are a lot of first-round NFL picks for guys that size who can play offensive tackle. The family bought into it. The priority has been football ever since.”

Football is bringing Xavier to UF and the next phase in his life. It’s a sport that has provided many snapshot moments for Nixon. One of his favorites came at the Army All-American game in San Antonio in early January, when he pulled on a Gator hat and announced on national television that he would be signing with Florida.

What made it special is that both his parents were there, by his side for the big moment.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so it was a great that they both could be there,” he said. “I’m looking forward to them being able to come and see me play at Florida the next four years. I hope that happens quite a few times.”