Four-star defensive lineman Trey Bixby has signed with Minnesota. It’s been a long wait to put pen to paper for Bixby, who committed verbally in August 2020. Several schools offered him scholarships, including Penn State, Michigan State, and Arkansas. He’s the highest-ranking recruit in Minnesota’s 2022 class.
Bixby suffered through an allergic condition called urticaria as a teenager, detailed here by the Pioneer-Press. Treatments rendered his immune system less than 100%, so he completed his junior year of high school online- which made him ineligible for football. After moving from Ohio back to the Minneapolis area this past summer, he was able to play his senior season at Eden Prairie High. Unfortunately, he missed the first three games waiting to be cleared to play after relocating, and several more after an ankle injury. His most recent stats are from his sophomore season at St. Edward’s in Ohio, and they’re impressive. Bixby recorded 75 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 13 quarterback hurries.
Now fully healthy, Bixby plans to graduate early, but not enroll at Minnesota until fall; instead, he’ll stay home and work to regain more of the weight and muscle he lost while ill. He told the Pioneer-Press he hopes to weigh between 240 and 260 by the time he arrives on campus.
And when he gets there, the competition for playing time is wide open. Starting defensive tackles Nyles Pinckney and Micah Dew-Treadway have graduated. Starting ends Boye Mafe and Esezi Otomewo have accepted Senior Bowl invitations. Bixby could have an outside chance to play early, depending in part on how much weight he regains by fall.
Defensive end is where 247sports’ Allen Trieu sees Trey Bixby playing, although he says playing inside isn’t out of the question, depending on how much weight he eventually carries on his 6-5 frame.
