Lance Dawson has turned his potential into a Division I commitment.

The Avon senior defensive lineman went from a rotation player on the Eagles’ state championship team to becoming the newest player for the University of Cincinnati. Dawson announced his commitment to the Bearcats on June 16 on X.

Dawson took an official visit to Cincinnati over the weekend and decided now was a better time than ever to make his college choice.

“I like the program and the coaches there,” Dawson said. “The coaches are very involved. Their recruiting staff calls and texts me every day. All the other schools I have, they’ve never done that. It just showed how much they care for their players and what they do in the recruiting process. With the new indoor facility, that definitely got me hooked.”

Dawson’s recruitment blew up over the spring, and he has 12 Division I offers. He attended camps at Cincinnati and the University of Virginia and received offers from both in the past couple of weeks.

The exposure has been a huge benefit toward his recruitment, and he is excited for what’s next.

“It’s actually funny,” Dawson said. “Starting off with my sophomore year playing football, the recruiting process was dead for me. I would talk to no coaches, had no film.”

“Coming in after that sophomore summer, after getting my film together, playing in every game and winning the state championship, (my teammates) helped me post my clips. The coaches would come in for lifting and talk to me and made me go out to camps.”

Not only was Dawson dipping his toes in the recruiting process for the first time, his sophomore year was the first time he ever played football.

With Dawson’s work ethic and help from Avon’s coaching staff, he has developed and become quite the catch for Division I programs. Although his recruitment has just recently taken off, it’s no surprise in Avon.

“We’re good in Avon because we develop our players better than other people. That’s just the bottom line,” Avon coach Mike Elder said. “Coach (Jared) Cecchetti in the weight room and what we do and our coaches in terms of technique and form, do a great job of developing our players.”

“(Dawson) showed up every day. He’s got a great work ethic and he wants it badly. As a result, God blessed him with athletic ability and he’s maximizing everything he was given.”

At 6-4 and 250 pounds, size is on Dawson’s side. He was among Avon’s defensive linemen group that took reps last season, but 2025 could represent a whole new side of him on the field.

“He’s a specimen,” Elder said. “He played last year and played very well. He’s new to the game and there’s so much upside and potential with him. We’re expecting him to have a monster year for us.”

Cincinnati also saw the potential and Dawson’s commitment is the result.

The film spoke for itself to already have double-digit Division I offers, but Dawson is ready to go for his senior year. He wants to turn potential into actuality.

“Every coach I’ve talked to, they definitely want to see a breakout year and I’m looking forward to it,” Dawson said. … “It benefits me really well. The younger kids are looking up to me and I’m trying to be a team captain. It really affects me in a positive way.”