This is certainly not an ideal situation for Nebraska football.
There are good days and bad days in recruiting, and for Nebraska football, Friday was a bad day. They lost out on a player from their backyard. Cornerback Avante Dickerson committed to Minnesota, in what was a bit of a surprise.
Dickerson is a member of the 2021 class. He is the eighth overall cornerback in the class, and the top player in the class from Nebraska per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is a four-star cornerback. The 247Sports Crystal Ball had Nebraska as the favorite, with 67% of all predictions pointing him to Lincoln.
As a Nebraska fan, this commitment is a bit disappointing. Now let me be extremely clear when I say this. I fully support him choosing whatever college he wants to play football at. I’m not going to berate him for his college choice. It is just disappointing that Nebraska couldn’t land a player right in their backyard. He could have helped their secondary immensely, and continued to deepen the position.
When you look at what the Nebraska secondary looks like right now, there are a lot of positives and a lot of talent. Tamon Lynum and Ronald Delancy III are two players in the 2020 class that can make an impact in the secondary. Lamar Jackson being the most recent example, Nebraska has managed to have some solid players in their secondary. There is talent at the position and on that side of the football
Despite the loss of Dickerson, it is worth noting that Nebraska has Teddy Prochazka in the 2021 class. Combine that with having Isaac Gifford, Zavier Betts, Zach Schlager, and Nouredin Nouli in the 2020 class, Nebraska still has some talent coming in from the state. Even still, landing Dickerson would have begun to put offense of sorts around the state.
Nebraska still has many capable players on the roster in the secondary. Furthermore, they will undoubtedly put something together in recruiting. However, losing a recruit like Dickerson certainly is a blow to the program. There is always the possibility that he changes his mind and does not sign with Minnesota on Signing Day. Nebraska could have an outside shot, I’m not holding my breath.
In any event, this is certainly not ideal for a Nebraska program looking to continue landing high-profile recruits. Losing Dickerson to Minnesota certainly puts additional salt on the wounds. However, I am confident that this coaching staff will be able to bounce back.