Continuing their long-standing tradition of sending tight ends to the four-year level, the Cerritos College football team will be adding Jeremy Haywood to that list. The team's leading receiver among tight ends in 2019, Haywood will be transferring to Dixie State University, who will become the 14th member of the NCAA Division I Big Sky Conference. Haywood is the 24th tight end to sign with a four-year school in the last 20 years and is the 10th Division I signing.

"The reason I chose Dixie State was because it is very close to home which means I can visit my daughter more often," stated Haywood, who came to Cerritos College from Valley High in Las Vegas, NV, which is two hours from St. George, UT. "I also chose them because they are converting to a D1 and I want to be part of something special. I was getting offers from many different schools. In total, I got about 15 different offers and was considering both Southwestern Oklahoma State and Dickinson State (before choosing Dixie State)."

In 2019, Haywood led all Falcon receivers with 11 receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns. One of the main reasons for the success of Cerritos tight ends getting recruited is their blocking ability. As a freshman, Haywood was part of an offense that saw Rhamondre Stevenson lead the country in rushing with 2,111 yards, while the Falcon accounted for 1,895 yards on the ground in 2019, which culminated in a post-season bowl win. The 6-3, 270-pound Haywood, was one of three regular tight ends the last two seasons that averaged 6-4, 260 in size.

Haywood spread out his receptions over eight games, including a two-yard touchdown reception against Moorpark College and a 24-yard scoring catch against Long Beach City College. His TD catch against the Raiders came late in the first half to put the Falcons in front 21-7, while he pulled in a late touchdown pass in a loss to the Vikings.

For the 2020 season, Haywood looks to help the Blazers improve on their 8-3 record, as they make the move to Division I.

"Dixie State wasn't recruiting me at first," added Haywood. "But I went out there for a camp, and when they saw what I was able to do, they liked me and they told me that I should go there and get on the road to the Big Sky. The coach told me that with the assets that I would bring, I would fit perfectly with the offense. Some of my main strengths would be route running and catching. I'm coachable. I'm a team player. I'm hoping to bring two championships at Dixie in the next two years like we won at Cerritos."

Haywood joins Sebastian Hernandez (San Diego State University), TJ McMahon (Rice University), Kenny Miller (Lake Erie College), CJ Parks (Eastern Michigan University) and Anthony Shipton (University of Illinois) who are all moving on to the four-year level.