Not knowing when his next opportunity to play football might come — if it would ever come — Roosevelt football wide receiver Keonta Nixon stayed ready the best way he could. He took to the basketball court. 

"I don't like to talk about myself too much, but I'm like the 6-foot-3 version of LeBron James," Nixon said with a laugh. 

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For someone who is a football player by trade, emulating the NBA's all-time leading scorer — himself a gridiron standout in high school — is a savvy choice for men's league and pick-up basketball games. Hoops offered Nixon a competitive outlet and means of staying physically fit while away from football, the result of a fractured foot sustained when Nixon was at a Texas junior college. 

Basketball also kept Nixon connected to sports at a time when football's absence from his life proved painful for the Chicago area native. 

"It was really hard for me to watch," Nixon said of a two-year period in which he wasn't playing the sport. "I love the game so much and I when I lost it, the way I did, I wasn't expecting to lose it. [But] it made me want it so much more." 

Nixon was a high school standout, winning All-DuPage County honors in his senior season at Lake Park. His performance at Lake Park, where he transferred before his senior year from Glenbard East High School, caught the attention of coach John Bonamego's staff at Central Michigan University. 

Nixon redshirted his first year in Mount Pleasant, but the extra development time appeared worth the wait when he debuted with four receptions in a season-opening win over UAlbany in 2019. That game also marked the first for Central Michigan under a new coaching staff, helmed by Jim McElwain. Nixon's role was limited through his time under a staff that didn't recruit him, and he opted for a fresh start through transfer. 

Factors beyond Nixon's control intersected all at once. The foot fracture he sustained kept him from showing what he could do to four-year programs at an unprecedented time for transfers around the sport, a byproduct of rules changes in response to a once-in-a-century pandemic. 

A deluge of unfortunate circumstances left Nixon not only out of football but out of school. Rather than acquiesce against all that was out of control, Nixon took control of what he could. 

He played basketball, recording his exploits and skills in order to build an online audience. Describing himself as "staying active because I'm an active guy," Nixon also maintained his fitness in case an opportunity presented itself. 

And it did, thanks to his time at Central Michigan. 

Ricardo Macon walked on at CMU in 2019, joining the same wide receiver room as Nixon. The two formed a friendship that proved fateful years later when Macon landed at Roosevelt University as a tight end. Macon recommended the Chicago native Nixon look into the local Roosevelt program.  

"It was [a situation of] 'let's see what happens when he gets into football again,'" Lakers coach Jared Williamson said of integrating Nixon into the program. Fortunately for Nixon, his runs on the basketball court helped him make that transition back into college football smoothly. Said Williamson: "He really picked up right we left off and rounded himself into shape." 

Certainly, hoops helped maintain Nixon's stamina and flexibility, but basketball and football are still markedly different sports. Part of returning to the level needed for a college athlete demanded Nixon get into the weight room, reacclimatize himself to the game's physicality, and as he had drawn from past experience, stay healthy.

Nixon also drew from his past to motivate how he approached his future. 

"I knew if I ever had the chance to get back into the game, I'm going to run with it," he said. "I'm going to do everything I can, bust as hard as I can every day in practice because I missed it." 

"People who have had something and almost assumed it was always going to be there or maybe that it's just the everyday norm, and then that's taken away, and you realize how much not only you miss it, but what an opportunity it is," said Williamson. 

"All of us assume things and don't realize that those opportunities aren't guaranteed. So when you lose it, you really, you really value it when you get it back."

Bringing that perspective that only comes from lived experiences, Nixon parlayed his dedication into production in his first season as a Laker. He caught 34 passes for 717 yards and scored six touchdowns, all team-highs. 

He settled into a routine as a Roosevelt student and as a top performer for the Lakers, and Nixon established himself as one of the cornerstones for the program's transition into the NCAA. 

Roosevelt joins the GLIAC, arguably the top-to-bottom best conference in Div. II football. The Lakers kick off their historic 2024 season on Sept. 14 against Div. III power Wisconsin-Whitewater, make the short trip over the border into Indiana to face Div. I opponent Valparaiso the next week, and visit national championship contender Ferris State in their GLIAC debut on Oct. 5. 

Having defied the odds on his own, Nixon is a fitting leader for Roosevelt's pursuit of exceeding expectations in the program's inaugural NCAA season. When asked the one characteristic those seeing Roosevelt football for the first time in 2024 can anticipate, Nixon offered without hesitation: "That we won't give up." 

It's a spirit Nixon embodies, and it's an identifying trait on which the city Roosevelt represents was founded. Chicago rebuilt from the brink of total decimation after the Great Fire of 1871 to be the bustling metropolis it is today. 

Williamson has been on the ground floor of building up Roosevelt football from its roots as Robert Morris, and the university's place in Chicago plays a significant part in the Laker's identity. Nixon is one among dozens of Chicagoland prospects who make up the Lakers 2024 roster. 

For Nixon, the opportunity to play close to home made his second chance at college football via Roosevelt all the more rewarding. He commuted to class living at home in his first semester, and said he has no shortage of family and friends cheering him on. 

FloCollege Is Coming In 2024

In October 2024, FloSports launches a new experience for college fans with a consolidation of all the great college content on one site. FloCollege will include content from FloFootball, FloHoops, FloBaseball and more. 

Which NCAA Conferences And Teams Are Included In FloCollege?

Here are all the conferences and teams streaming on FloCollege:

CAA (Division I/ FCS)

• College of Charleston
• Campbell University
• University of Delaware
• Drexel
• Hofstra
• UNC Wilmington
• Northeastern
• Towson
• William & Mary
• Hampton
• Stony Brook
• Elon
• North Carolina A&T
• Maine - Football Only
• University of Albany - Football Only
• University of New Hampshire - Football Only
• Villanova - Football Only
• Richmond - Football Only
• Fairfield - (Men’s Lacrosse Only)

BIG EAST (Division I)

• Butler
• Creighton
• DePaul
• Georgetown
• Marquette
• Providence
• Saint John’s
• Seton Hall
• Villanova
• Xavier
• UConn

SAC (Division II)

• Anderson University
• Carson-Newman
• Catawba
• Coker
• Emory & Henry
• Limestone
• Lincoln Memorial
• Mars Hill
• Tusculum
• UVA Wise
• Wingate
• Barton College - Football Only
• Belmont Abbey College - Field Hockey Only
• Converse University - Field Hockey Only
• Lander University - Field Hockey Only
• University of Mount Olive - Field Hockey Only

GLIAC (Division II)

• Davenport
• Ferris State
• Grand Valley State
• Lake Superior State
• MTU
• Northern Michigan
• Saginaw Valley State
• Wayne State
• Purdue Northwest
• Wisconsin-Parkside

NEWMAC (Division III)

• Babson College
• Clark University
• U.S Coast Guard Academy
• Emerson College
• MIT
• Mount Holyoke College
• Salve Regina
• Smith College
• Springfield College
• Wellesley College
• Wheaton College
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Norwich University - Football Only
• SUNY Maritime College - Football Only
• U.S Merchant Marine Academy - Football Only

Gulf South (Division II)

• Alabama Huntsville
• Auburn Montgomery
• Christian Brothers
• Delta State
• Lee
• Mississippi College
• Montevallo
• Trevecca Nazarene
• Union
• Valdosta State
• West Alabama
• West Florida
• Erskine College - Football Only
• North Greenville – Football Only
• Flagler – Women’s Lacrosse Only
• Lander – Women’s Lacrosse Only
• Spring Hill – Men’s & Women’s Soccer Only

Landmark (Division III)

• Catholic University of America
• Drew University
• Elizabethtown College
• Goucher College
• Juniata College
• Lycoming College
• Moravian University
• University of Scranton
• Susquehanna University
• Wilkes University
• Keystone - Football Only

CCAA (Division II)

• Cal State Poly - Humboldt
• Cal State Poly - Pomona
• Cal State - Chico
• Cal State - Dominguez Hills
• Cal State - East Bay
• Cal State - Los Angeles
• Cal State - Monterey Bay
• Cal State - San Bernadino
• Cal State - San Marcos
• Cal State - Stanislaus
• San Francisco State
• Sonoma State

SCIAC (Division III)

• Caltech
• California Lutheran University
• Chapman University
• Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
• University of LA Verne
• Occidental College
• Ponoma-Pitzer
• University of Redlands
• Whittier College

SCAC (Division III)

• Centenary College - Football Only
• Colorado College
• Concordia University
• McMurry University - Football Only
• University of the Ozarks
• Schreiner University
• University of Dallas
• University of Saint Thomas

NE10 (Division II)

• Adelphi University
• American International College
• Assumption University
• Bentley University
• Franklin Pierce University
• University of New Haven
• Pace University
• Saint Anselm College
• Saint Michael’s College
• Southern Connecticut State University
• Southern New Hampshire University

Lone Star Conference (Division II)

• Angelo State University
• Cameron University
• Dallas Baptist University
• Eastern New Mexico University
• Lubbock Christian University
• Midwestern State University
• Oklahoma Christian University
• Saint Edward’s University
• Saint Mary’s University
• Sul Ross State University
• Texas A&M International University
• Texas A&M University-Kingsville
• Texas Woman’s University
• University of Texas Permian Basin
• University of Texas at Tyler
• West Texas A&M University
• Western New Mexico University
• Central Washington University - Football Only
• Western Oregon University - Football Only

Archived Footage On FloFootball

Video footage from all events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloFootball subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

Watch The 2024 College Football Season On FloFootball 

FloFootball is the home of the best FCS, Division II and Division III football action all season long. 

Don't miss the latest college football action by bookmarking the FloFootball schedule page for the latest games. 

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