Thirty minutes after everyone else ended their practice and hit the showers, a hoarse but still bellowing voice can be heard by the small group of wide receivers and quarterbacks who remain working on the deserted field in Peden Stadium.

That voice belongs to new wide receivers coach Dwayne Dixon, and that scene is one that has occurred regularly since the season began. The only difference is that small group of players has gotten a little larger and those sessions a little longer.

“It shows something when you see guys staying. It means something to them. They know the areas that they can be better, and they want to be better. I want to help them,” Dixon said. “These young guys are hungry to learn the right way to do things, and I don’t mind sharing that information with them.”

Dixon coached for more than 17 years at Bowl Championship Series programs like the University of Florida and North Carolina State University. He started his coaching career after a Hall of Fame playing career at the University of Florida and a short pro career in the NFL and Arena Football League.

In 2001, he was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given to the nation’s top assistant coach. From 1994-2002, Dixon coached a national-best nine semifinalists and four finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nation’s best receiver. In that span, he had at least one receiver taken in the NFL draft every year.

“Everybody knows he’s a successful coach, so to be a successful player, you have to listen to a successful coach,” said wide receiver Justin Fitzgerald. “(We) just try to come out here and get better and listen to everything he says, because it’s going to benefit us in the end.”

Six players, including two freshmen, already have more than 100 yards receiving on the season, and a lot of that can be attributed to Dixon’s tutelage. The one knock on the receivers has been their dropped passes, which Dixon said he takes personally.

“It makes you want to go out there and play for him, because he’s the type of coach that we just don’t want to let down,” said wide receiver Chido Nwokocha. “He’s been so good to us; he’s been helping us so much. He’s just an overall good coach for the football aspect of it and off the field just as a personal guy that you can go to.”

Dixon never lets an opportunity to work with his players pass by. When a receiver is standing on the sideline waiting to get in, Dixon throws him balls to keep him working. After practice, he stays with the group and works on everything from route running to getting off the line of scrimmage.

It doesn’t stop with the receivers. Safety Michael Mitchell and quarterback Theo Scott are regulars in the wide receiver group when the team splits up in practice. After practice, Dixon works constantly with Scott and backups Josh Febus and Brandon Jones on how they can improve.

“He has a lot of knowledge about the position as far as timing goes with the receivers, stuff like that,” Jones said. “With me, I feel he’s a great guy. And for him to stay after hours like that when it’s not mandatory, it just shows how genuine of a guy he is, how much he cares. Just a great guy all around.”

Dixon is constantly finding new ways to help his players. One day he had the quarterbacks trying to complete deep throws into an empty trashcan. Another day he sprinted onto the field and lowered a shoulder into an unsuspecting Mitchell after he intercepted a ball in an intrasquad scrimmage to show the receivers what they should have been doing.

“It’s unorthodox, it’s spontaneous, it’s different,” Dixon said. “They are always trying to figure out what I am going to do next, and it keeps them on the edge.”