North Carolina football has made a significant addition to its roster by signing quarterback Taron Dickens from Western Carolina. Dickens gained national attention last season when he broke the NCAA record for the most consecutive completions in a single game, achieving 46 completions against Wofford on October 4.
In that remarkable performance, Dickens completed 53 of 56 passes, throwing for 378 yards and three touchdowns, which helped secure a 23-21 victory for the Catamounts. The junior, standing at 5 feet 11 inches and hailing from Miami, Florida, set a school record with 3,508 passing yards in the season, including four games where he exceeded 400 yards.
His completion percentage of 74.2% not only led the FCS but also earned him the title of SoCon Offensive Player of the Year. Furthermore, Dickens received multiple All-American honors in the FCS and was a runner-up for the prestigious Walter Payton Award, which is awarded to the top offensive player in the FCS.
At UNC, Dickens will face competition for the starting quarterback position from fellow transfers Billy Edwards Jr. from Wisconsin and Miles O”Neill from Texas A&M. This comes after the departures of quarterbacks Gio Lopez (Wake Forest), Max Johnson (Georgia Southern), and Bryce Barker (Virginia Tech) this offseason.
In the past season, under head coach Bill Belichick, the Tar Heels struggled with a 4-8 record and concluded the regular season ranked 131st in total offense among 136 FBS teams. With the arrival of Dickens and new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, there is hope for a turnaround in the upcoming season.
