Steelers rookie tackle Jake Dixon took an odd path from Bethel Park to Duquesne to — hopefully — Heinz Field

For Bethel Park’s Jake Dixon, his biggest surprise about becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler was his own reaction to those first OTA practices last month.

“I thought it was going to hit me way more,” Dixon admitted after a recent practice. “But it almost feels like I’m supposed to be here. I’m here for a reason. But it is a dream to play for the hometown team.”

There does seem to be a magnetism that’s keeping Dixon in football — while keeping him in Pittsburgh.

In one sense, his path has been pretty straightforward. From Bethel Park High School to Duquesne University to the Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent offensive tackle.

But as any Western Pennsylvanian who has ever driven that route in their car can tell you, you are bound to hit a detour or two that may take you off course for a bit.

That’s been the case for Dixon’s football travels, too.

Dixon started his college athletics career as a 6-foot-6, 205-pound volleyball player at Lewis University in Illinois. But he longed to put shoulder pads on again and decided he wanted to transfer back home to Duquesne.

“Early on, he signed to play Division I volleyball,” Dukes coach Jerry Schmitt said on Tuesday. “That ended our recruiting. We basically forgot about him. But he called us … (and) said that he loved volleyball but missed football. And Duquesne was the place he wanted to be. And we wanted to take him right away and were ecstatic to have him.”

Even after Dixon came back home, he didn’t immediately jump onto the Dukes offensive line depth chart. He began his career on the Bluff as a blocking tight end and long snapper. Dixon eventually made the shift to offensive tackle for the coronavirus-adjusted 2020 spring FCS season and the 2021 fall campaign. He immediately excelled, becoming a two-time first-team All-Northeast Conference player and FCS All-American.

While Schmitt admits that Dixon’s technique is still raw, he says the volleyball and tight end athleticism never left his body, despite bulking up to battle in the trenches.

“His jumping ability, his footwork. He can run the field for a big guy,” Schmitt recalled. “Days when he was 275-280 (pounds), he would do some long snapping on punts, and he would run the field with linebackers. He’s got such long strides.”

Dixon’s natural footwork and athletic ability stood out after the Dukes’ season ended. That’s when the 24-year-old participated in the FCS Bowl where he was scouted to have been “a difficult test for every rusher,” according to CBS Sports. He also was said to have turned heads at the College Gridiron Showcase in Dallas.

“We got word he did a really good job,” Schmitt said. “He is a really grounded kid. A humble kid. He gets it. … Some guys, they think they are going to be in the Hall of Fame, or that they are going to make an NFL team ASAP, and talk about it all the time. He understands where he is. He understands what he has to do, and how hard it is.”

From there, signing with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent was the perfect fit. Not only does he know the area, but his girlfriend (Paige) is now a teacher in Upper St. Clair. And with his roots in town, riding the wave of potentially being on the practice squad, to sometimes being cut, bouncing on and off the roster is something that Dixon could handle a lot more readily than others in his position.

Whatever stress that goes along with that potential yo-yo of football life seems worth it to Dixon, to put on the helmet of the team he rooted for as a child.

“Every football player in the Pittsburgh area dreams of being a Steeler,” Dixon said. “The fact that I can live that out — a lot of young kids’ dreams and, of course, my own — is awesome. But this is just the first step. A lot of work is to be done. A whole lot of learning and improving to go.”

According to Schmitt, Dixon has the brains and personality to go along with the talent that has gotten him this far. He said Dixon left Duquesne with his MBA, was en route to another master’s degree by season’s end and earned a 3.98 GPA during his time with the Dukes.

Schmitt also called him a team leader who gauges the pulse of the team.

“The maturity level, I would think nothing of picking up the phone and calling him and asking him the culture of the team. Where’s the team’s mind? Where’s the kids’ heads … a pretty realistic kid. I will miss him. I enjoyed having him on our football team,” Schmitt said.

Fellow Duquesne alum and current Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz claims that he has taken time to glance over at the offensive line drills to see how Dixon is doing, and he seems to be fitting in well.

“It’s hard to tell with no pads on. But he’s a smart player. He’ll be alright. He’s strong enough. So I don’t doubt him. He’ll do well when the pads come on. He has worked his butt off to get here and transform into an elite lineman,” Kuntz said.

There isn’t exactly a clear path toward Dixon making the team either. Chuks Okorafor and Dan Moore Jr. return as starters at tackle. Reserves Joe Haeg and Chaz Green are back from last year’s roster, too. Others such as Trent Scott and Jordan Tucker could play at that position as well.

But, as Dixon has already made clear, there’s more than one way from Bethel Park to the South Side, to (maybe) Heinz Field.

Sometimes you just have to fight your way through that kind of traffic.