It’s been a tough weekend for Minnesota Gopher football fans and it didn’t get any better minutes ago when their top commitment for the 2021 recruiting class, (CB) Avante Dickerson, officially decommitted. He will announce his new school of choice on February 3rd, which is also the start of the late National Signing Day period.

I’d like to thank Coach Fleck and the entire University of Minnesota staff for the support throughout this process. However, I’ve had a change of heart and I am de-committing from Minnesota.
I will be announcing my decision on signing day on Feb. 3rd.

— AD #28 (@_dickerson1) January 24, 2021

Dickerson didn’t sign with Fleck’s 2021 class when everyone else did a few weeks ago but Gopher fans had hoped his cold feet would warm up as we approached February 3. Unfortunately, that’s not the way everything transpired.

Fleck + Tennessee rumors impact

I don’t know if the Tennessee head coach rumors embroiling PJ Fleck over the last 24 hours have anything to do with Avante Dickerson’s announcement this afternoon, but the coincidental timing cannot be denied. Is it possible that Dickerson is making his decommitment official now because he knows something about PJ’s future at Minnesota that we do not?

It’s possible… but it’s also very possible Dickerson had planned this decommitment tweet with or without the Fleck + Tennessee rumors that are bustling about. Either way, this is a tough one for Gopher fans.

Losing PJ Fleck would be 150x worse.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

In the most relieving news of the day, top Minnesota Gophers football commit, Avante Dickerson told 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong that “as of now, he’s still 100% sure” he’ll be signing his official Letter of Intent in February, for the University of Minnesota.

Moving forward head coach PJ Fleck and his staff will continue to show Dickerson how much they want to coach him.

“They were cool with it and support me and everything,” Dickerson said.

Dickerson added “right now I’m 100 percent sure,” he’ll sign with the Gophers in February before elaborating on what stands out.

“Probably the coaches that’s the main thing. The relationship I have with the coaches that I’ve built with them over nine months.”

247Sports.com (via Steve Wiltfong)

This is heartwarming news to a Minnesota Gophers fanbase that needs a pick-me-up, after going 3-4 on the season and opting-out of bowl play. This is it.

Avante Dickerson is far and away the highest-rated commit that PJ Fleck received for the 2021 recruiting class so keeping him is vital. “As of now” might not mean anything come February so I’m sure a lot could unfold between now and then.

Still “as of now”, Gopher coaches and fans couldn’t have hoped for a better answer than this one. If you want to read more about Dickerson’s non-committed status during National Signing Day, you can click here.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Avante Dickerson, the Minnesota Gophers top 2021 football commit, didn’t sign his National Letter of Intent before the clock struck midnight on Friday, the final day of the early National Signing Day period.

The Omaha, Nebraska defensive back got cold feet on Wednesday and was the only Gopher verbal commit to not sign his LOI that morning. It was the talk of Big Ten country, and beyond.

I would like to announce that I will not be signing along with my teammates. I am simply not ready to make a final decision that will impact my future as a student athlete I will be at the signing at Westside high school to support my teammates but not available for questions.

— AD #28 (@_dickerson1) December 16, 2020

Three at the Westside signing table but no Avante Dickerson. #nebpreps pic.twitter.com/ug4QBZzCaU

— Stu Pospisil (@stuOWH) December 16, 2020

Now, Dickerson will wait until February 5 to officially commit to his future college. That’s when the standard National Signing Day takes place.

Until then, he’ll be chased heavily by many suitors. Right now, I hope the Gophers still have the lead but I’d say Minnesota, Nebraska and Oklahoma are the three early favorites.

There were plenty of really good recruits who did sign their LOI’s on Wednesday morning. Many of them are meeting in Chicago to watch the Wisconsin vs Minnesota Axe Game this afternoon.

My peeps! On my way! pic.twitter.com/zIOxjjrMhr

— UGAMikey (@ga_mpl) December 18, 2020

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Omaha Nebraska ATH, Avante Dickerson, was supposed to be the sparkling gem sitting atop the highest-rated recruiting class in Minnesota Gophers internet era history. Instead, the 2021 high-4-star commit declined to sign his official letter of intent this morning and the Gophers finished early-NSD with 19 total commits (including walk-ons) instead of 20.

Top of his class…

If Dickerson decommits and signs elsewhere, it would cost the Gophers 10 recruiting points (from 205.47 to 194.91) on 247Sports.com. He’s the difference between the #26 and #36 rankings in the country.

The #26-ranked class would be tied for the Gophers’ highest of the internet era (2008 – Brewster). Falling down to #36 would put this class right next to the others during PJ Fleck’s tenure. That’s not a bad thing because he’s been the best recruiter we’ve had… ever. Still, it’s not the growth we thought were getting in the 2021 class.

I would like to announce that I will not be signing along with my teammates. I am simply not ready to make a final decision that will impact my future as a student athlete I will be at the signing at Westside high school to support my teammates but not available for questions.

— AD #28 (@_dickerson1) December 16, 2020

We’ve written about Dickerson, and how dynamic he is, multiple times on this website. If he doesn’t want to play in the secondary, he’s good enough to play multiple offensive positions too. The kid is a stud. He’s the only Minnesota Gophers commit who’s rated above a .9000 by 247Sports.com.

So what happened?

Nebraska happened. At least that’s what their fanbase wants you to think.

Fleck swiped Avante from Scott Frost country but the Huskers have continued to recruit him hard ever since. Public doubts on Dickerson’s commitment to Minnesota only sprung up in the hours leading up to Early-NSD, however.

The Omaha kid has never stepped foot on the University of Minnesota Campus and that’s probably playing into his non-committed status. He verbally-committed to the Gophers in April, just as the COVID shutdowns were beginning.

According to Nebraska 247Sports affiliate, Husker247.com:

“Nebraska never stopped recruiting Dickerson, though the Huskers didn’t re-enter the picture fully until the fall, when it was first rumored that the Omaha Westside defensive back hadn’t closed the door entirely on playing for the Huskers and that there were some sticking points with his Minnesota commitment. Publicly, Dickerson never wavered, never made a statement, never decommitted or even said he was considering other schools.

Behind the scenes, Nebraska continued to work to try to land the defensive back. One of his best friends and current Westside teammate, Koby Bretz, committed to the program.

Husker247 seems to think Dickerson’s made his final decision, during this early National Signing Day period. If his LOI isn’t submitted by Friday, Avante will have to wait until February 3. That’s when the late National Signing Day period begins.

But, his tweet didn’t announce a decommitment nor did it say that he’s pushing his LOI out until February. Dickerson was expected to sign his LOI to Minnesota at his local Omaha (NE) high school today, along with some HS teammates (one of which was committing to the Huskers).

Fans are hoping

So Minnesota Gophers fans are holding out hope that the hometown Nebraska boy is just trying to avoid the local Nebraska mob. One that would surely be stirred up by his public commitment to Minnesota.

Could Avante Dickerson be waiting for the hoopla of National Signing Day to pass, just to send in his LOI during a discrete time later this week? That’s the hope.

Of course, these things/thoughts are all speculation and we really don’t have any idea what is going through this young man’s head. We’ll obviously know more by Friday because he will either sign his LOI by then… or he won’t.

I guess we’ll wait and see. PJ Fleck has a National Signing Day press conference scheduled for 1:30 today so we’ll see if he gives any clues as to what’s happening with AD. I will stream the zoom presser live on our Twitter page if you want to watch PJ talk about these signees (you do).

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Gopher football 2021 recruiting class is shaping up to be one of the best, if not the best overall class in our lifetimes. The class is currently ranked 2nd in the Big Ten and 8th in the nation according to 247 sports. Thankfully P.J. Fleck has brought great hope and optimism to a fan base that desperately needed it. 

The recruiting class for 2021 currently features five 4-star athletes and eleven 3-stars. For perspective, the 2017 recruiting class (Fleck’s first year as head coach), failed to feature one 4-star athlete. 

The top recruit for the aforementioned 2021 class is CB Avante Dickerson. Avante is a 5’11 CB out of Omaha, Nebraska which means P.J. Fleck is stealing recruits from Scott Frost’s own backyard without any remorse.

Dickerson is rated the 6th-best CB and the 56th best player overall in the nation, via 247 Sports. Avante received many offers from top tier schools such as Georgia, LSU, and Ohio State just to name a few. Dickerson committed to play for the Maroon and Gold and should bolster the secondary immediately upon arrival… or will he?

〽️〽️ pic.twitter.com/aE4FC298jF

— AD #28 (@_dickerson1) May 18, 2020

Yesterday Dickerson sent out this very interesting tweet. It not only features CB Deion Sanders and RB Eric Dickerson, but it has Avante listed as an ATH or athlete. This tweet, although subtle, should be very exciting for Gopher fans. It could mean he moves to a different position, other than CB… BUT… it could also mean we see him many different places throughout his college career.

If Dickerson were to play more than one position, or maybe even both sides of the ball as the picture suggests, it would not be something that is unheard of. The most recent and most popular example of this would be Isaiah Simmons out of Clemson, who recently got drafted 8th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Simmons played anywhere from a slot corner to an edge rusher. Isaiah’s position was most often listed simply as “defense”. 

A name Minnesota fans are familiar with, that managed to play both sides of the ball in college, would be Anthony Barr. While Barr played at UCLA, his primary position was linebacker, the same spot he plays now. He also sprinkled in some snaps at Running Back and Wide Receiver. Barr as a running back is certainly a terrifying thought.

Obviously there is no guarantee that Dickerson will play more than just Cornerback for the Gophers, but if he ends up making plays from various different positions I have a feeling opposing offensive coordinators are going to be losing sleep over Dickerson. Either way the future for Gopher Football looks very promising and should bring tons of excitement to a desperate market. 

Cameron Thompson | Minnesota Sports Fan

COMMITTED 〽️ pic.twitter.com/WlbQW73DGv

— AD #28 (@_dickerson1) April 17, 2020

Wow…. this recruiting victory is sweet for a bunch of reasons. Avante Dickerson is a phenom. He is the 8th-ranked defensive back and 56th-ranked overall recruit, in the entire country (according to 247Sports.com).

Not only is Dickerson ranked highly in this year’s national recruiting class, but at a .9609, he is the 2nd-best recruiting get in Gopher football history, as far as 247 Sports composite ranking system goes.

Obviously, when a recruit is this highly-rated, he is going to have his choice of schools to attend, off of an offer sheet that spans just as impressive as it does long. Dickerson’s offers include LSU, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, USC, Oregon, among others… including Nebraska. In fact, that’s the school multiple analysts at 247 Sports had submitted their crystal balls to.

I love commitments from really good football players. I love them even better when PJ steals them from the grasps of Scott Frost.

As expected, Dickerson’s tape is off the charts too and experts at 247Sports.com are taken aback by this commitment and what is happening with this Gopher recruiting class… I’ve said it since Athan committed awhile back. 2021 is going to change everything.

“I think this is the type of commitment that Minnesota has to get to go from sweetheart dark horse to legitimate national power. This is a huge step forward for Minnesota in their recruiting efforts for them not just being able to evaluate but also just out recruit.”

247Sports Director of Scouting Barton Simmons

And we thought the Gopher Football commitment list for 2021 was impressive before we got to this moment. Avante Dickerson tops the list by quite a wide margin… The aforementioned Athan Kaliakmanis (QB) was the highest-rated commitment until now, and he is a .9013, which is .06 full points behind him. That’s a lot in the recruiting world.

Earlier today I wrote about the Gophers jumping into the top-4 Big Ten schools for 2021 recruiting with one more 4-star commitment. I was way off. They’ve actually moved into the top-3 for the Big Ten and top-6 for the entire nation… This is not a drill.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan