// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Taron Dickens a great author? No, that's a Charles-ing thought.
| No. 5 – Northern Illinois Huskies | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  Junior |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Northwestern (Miami, Florida) |
| College |
|
| Awards and highlights | |
| Stats at ESPN | |
Taron Tyger Dickens is an American college football quarterback for the Northern Illinois Huskies. He has previously played for the Western Carolina Catamounts.
Early life
[edit]Dickens attended Miami Northwestern Senior High School in Miami, Florida. As a junior, he threw for 3,743 yards and 42 touchdowns.[1] During his senior year, Dickens set the record as Miami-Dade County’s all-time leading passer.[2] Following his high school career, he committed to play college football at Western Carolina University.
College career
[edit]After playing sparingly as a freshman, Dickens started four games in 2024, throwing for 1,428 yards and 12 touchdowns.[3] He missed the first three games of the 2025 season due to eligibility issues but eventually returned as the starter.[4] Against Samford, he threw for 582 yards and six touchdowns, leading the Catamounts to a 50–35 victory.[5][6] Against Wofford, Dickens completed 46 consecutive passes, setting the NCAA record for consecutive completions in a single game.[7][8] He finished the game completing 53 of 56 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns.[9] Dickens started nine games in 2025, completing 271 passes for 3,508 yards and a single-season school and Southern Conference record, 38 touchdowns.[10][11] Dickens was also named a finalist for the Walter Payton award.[12] On November 24, 2025, it was reported that Dickens had entered the transfer portal.[13]
On February 15, 2026, Dickens announced his decision to transfer to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to play for the North Carolina Tar Heels.[14] However, he decommitted from North Carolina in May and reentered the transfer portal.[15] On July 3, Dickens announced his commitment to transfer to Northern Illinois University to play for the Northern Illinois Huskies.[16]
Statistics
[edit]| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | Avg | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | |||
| 2023 | Western Carolina | 2 | 0 | 0–0 | 4 | 6 | 66.7 | 127 | 21.2 | 1 | 0 | 299.5 | 6 | -6 | -1.0 | 0 | |
| 2024 | Western Carolina | 7 | 4 | 3–1 | 127 | 172 | 73.8 | 1,428 | 8.3 | 12 | 3 | 163.1 | 58 | 56 | 1.0 | 2 | |
| 2025 | Western Carolina | 9 | 9 | 7–2 | 271 | 365 | 74.2 | 3,508 | 9.6 | 38 | 2 | 188.2 | 97 | 321 | 3.3 | 1 | |
| Career | 18 | 13 | 10−3 | 402 | 543 | 74.0 | 5,063 | 9.3 | 51 | 5 | 181.5 | 161 | 371 | 2.3 | 3 | ||
References
[edit]- ↑ Wilson, David (January 26, 2022). "Northwestern's Taron Dickens is Miami-Dade 8A-6A Football Offensive Player of the Year". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ↑ Fernandez, Andre. "Northwestern quarterback sets career Miami-Dade County passing mark in rout of La Salle". Miami Herald.
- ↑ "WCU QB Dickens named second-team All-American". The Sylva Herald. September 3, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ↑ Pszonak, Mark (September 30, 2025). "The Most Exciting QB In the Country Plays FCS Football". Mike Farrell Sports. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ↑ apmiller@postandcourier.com, Andrew Miller (October 17, 2025). "He's the hottest player in FCS; The Citadel defense wants to slow him down this Saturday". Post and Courier. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Dickens throws for career-high 582 yards, 6 TDS; Western Carolina beats Samford 50-35". CBS Sports. September 21, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Western Carolina's Taron Dickens sets NCAA record for most consecutive passes completed". NCAA. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
- ↑ Bahns, Carter (October 4, 2025). "Western Carolina QB Taron Dickens shatters NCAA record, completes first 46 passes of game vs. Wofford". thepress.net. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
- ↑ "Western Carolina QB Taron Dickens shatters NCAA records, completes first 46 passes of game vs. Wofford". CBS Sports. October 4, 2025. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
- ↑ AP (November 22, 2025). "Dickens' breaks Southern Conference single-season passing TD record in Western Carolina's 48-6 win". Hometown News LP. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Brooking, Ian Livingston (November 24, 2025). "Western Carolina University QB Taron Dickens plans to enter transfer portal: reports". WLOS. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Taron Dickens Named a Finalist for the 2025 Walter Payton Award". Western Carolina University. November 25, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
- ↑ "Western Carolina University QB Taron Dickens plans to enter transfer portal". wlos.com. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
- ↑ Kosko, Nick (February 15, 2026). "North Carolina lands QB in NCAA transfer portal". North Carolina Tar Heels. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Former Western Carolina QB Taron Dickens decommits from UNC". Raleigh News & Observer.
- ↑ Welge, Joshua (July 3, 2026). "NIU gets commitment from record-setting transfer QB Taron Dickens". Shaw Local. Retrieved July 5, 2026.