The Top Remaining Quarterback Found his Home

The best remaining player in the portal has finally (hopefully) found his home in the college football world. Taron Dickens, the former Western Carolina standout quarterback, hit the transfer portal after his groundbreaking season. He wound up at the University of North Carolina, ready to compete against the likes of Billy Edwards for the starting job. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Dickens encountered roadblocks regarding his academics. He was forced to de-commit from UNC and the school released him from his letter of intent. Dickens committed to the University of Northern Illinois on Friday, July 3rd. He is expected to start games for them this fall. The NIU Huskies aren’t one of the premiere teams in college football, but have done just enough this offseason to build an intriguing offense. A quick look at their spring team shows an immense amount of size and speed at the wide receiver position, such as former Texas A&M - Kingsville receiver Kevin Holmes Jr, who stands at 6 feet and 6 inches tall.

Why should we care?

In the world of NIL and the present state of college football, this shouldn’t be huge news. The fact of the matter is, Taron Dickens is a great football player. ON3 ranked him as the 62nd quarterback in the portal. He hit his stride early in the 2025 season, shattering the record of consecutive completions in a game with 46 against Wofford. He was also the leader for the FCS sector of football in pass completion percentage. Dickens doesn’t have outstanding athleticism or pro tools yet, but his college football film puts you on his game. He has a smooth touch of the football and a good release point. His composure in the pocket is impressive, and his overall production can’t be ignored - Most passing yards in WCU history with 3508, FCS Southern conference passing touchdown record with 38, only 2 interceptions thrown with over 300 rushing yards accrued. 

How often do you see stats pop up like that?

So, a record shattering pocket passer moving up from the FCS level is definitely a fun story. As stated earlier, he will be hitting the field for the NIU Huskies in their summer/fall camp. Academics aside, this was one of the better players in the portal, arguably the best coming from a lower level. With a talent like Dickens joining a lower tier school with an average schedule, there is no saying how much he can produce. There is a lot of intrigue surrounding the Northern Illinois Huskies heading into 2026, and the redshirt sophomore has a chance to put himself on top of the college football world with 2 years of eligibility remaining.

An uncanny comparison?

Dickens is a Florida native and attended the same high school as Teddy Bridgewater. Now pro comparisons don’t always make sense, but an undersized quarterback out of Florida with top notch accuracy at the collegiate level kind of sounds like Teddy Bridgewater to me. And it is also how I’d describe Taron Dickens.

With the landscape of college sports constantly shifting, we may see Dickens at a top SEC school in 2027, as long as he can improve his academic record.