COLUMBUS, Ohio – As fall practice enters its second week there is still a lot of buzz around Ohio State wide receiver Johnnie Dixon as the former four-star recruit appears to be healthy for the first time in his career and continues to turn heads.

Dixon would be the first to admit that his career has not gone according to plan and that 2017 is going to be a big year for him. It has been several years in the making as Dixon has had to deal with chronic injuries throughout much of his career, dating all the way back to high school

"It is the best feeling I have had in a while," Dixon said. "Have not been healthy since like early high school years. Being healthy is big. I enjoy it, it is fun being out there every day."

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Less than a year ago however, Dixon thought his run might be done as the Buckeyes were coming off their worst loss of the Urban Meyer-era and frustration set in for the West Palm Beach (Fla.) standout.

"I kind of had that feeling (after the) Fiesta Bowl," Dixon added. "I felt like that it might be over from here. I got back in town and a couple of weeks went by and I was just thinking about it, 'Why not give it another shot?' and thank God that these guys gave me another opportunity."

And he has made the most of that opportunity. Fellow wideouts Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin have had a big part in working with Dixon and pushing him as Dixon pushed himself to get ready for one more run.

"They are really good friends and it was an accountability deal," wide receiver coach Zach Smith said. "They are good friends and teammates and kind of brothers and he made a decision after the season, 'Listen, I am not doing this the way that I need to do it. I am healthy now and I need train harder and go harder. I am buying all the way in.' and he did, and it is really cool to watch."

It was not an overnight transformation for Dixon, but he started to notice each day that he was feeling a little better and breaking through.

"I want to say that in the winter workouts I started feeling much better," Dixon said. "Then spring, every day I came out I felt just great."

Dixon feels that he is close to being back to what he is capable of. That does not mean that the work is done as he tries to build upon that but this is still the first time he has been able to go into a season healthy.

"I feel like everything is there," Dixon said. "My body is healthy. There are still things that you have to work on but I still feel healthy enough to do everything."

With many injured players, there is always the fear of getting hurt again. Dixon is aware that the risk is always there but also knows that too much time wasted dwelling upon that will take him off the field just as quickly as getting hurt.

"One thing about this program is if you go slow you are not going to be in there," Dixon said. "When I am out there I really don’t think about it. If it happens, it happens, but that is not on my mind when I am out there practicing."

Smith has included Dixon in a group of six front-line guys in the receivers room. Dixon does not want to focus on any labels even though he admits it is much better hearing about yourself in the mix than not. But he is not ready to call himself a front-line guy yet.

"You still have got to put in work every day. I would not say that," Dixon said.

The humble Dixon just wants to be able to contribute in any way to help the team that means so much to him.

"Just do everything that I can to help this team," Dixon said. "If that is catching touchdowns or playing special teams, whatever to help the team."