Pitt Football: Dickerson wants to go out like he came in
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Pitt's Dorin Dickerson, seen here in 2007 photo, is still waiting to show what he can do on the field.
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Dorin Dickerson arrived at Pitt as an All-American, a consensus top 100 recruit and one of the crown jewels of the 2006 recruiting class. He was a star in the making, a can't-miss prospect who turned down Michigan, Florida and Penn State to make a big impact with the hometown Panthers.
After three frustrating seasons and as many position changes, Dickerson is a senior still waiting to make his presence felt. His career resume includes two starts, 229 total yards and two touchdowns.
If you would have asked him four years ago when he was capping a spectacular high school career at West Allegheny, Dickerson would have expected to have those numbers by the end of September of his freshman year.
The pressure to perform has been immense, but Dickerson has become determined not to let those lofty expectations define him.
"At the time I didn't feel any pressure," Dickerson said. "But now that it hasn't gone the way people thought it would go -- or the way I thought it would go -- maybe there is a little more pressure.
"But I'm older now and I don't even look at [pressure] anymore. Maybe after my freshman year when I was down, or when I was a sophomore ... that was when the pressure hit. Now I'm over it. I really don't care what people think. I'm just going to go out and play and whatever happens, happens."
When those recruiting experts were extolling the virtues of Dickerson they never bothered to assign him a position. They termed him an "athlete". Dickerson had off-the-chart combine numbers and an athletic build to match, but experts really were not sure where he would fit in with a college team.
At West Allegheny, Dickerson played quarterback, running back, defensive back and kick returner. At Pitt, he played running back and receiver as a freshman, linebacker as a sophomore and tight end last season. He enters his senior season as the second-string tight end behind Mackey Award candidate and first-team all-Big East player Nate Byham.
"I feel a lot more comfortable at tight end," Dickerson said. "I have more experience there now than any position at Pitt. I feel good. I can't wait for the season to start to see what I can do with the position."
With new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti calling the plays Dickerson could get called upon much more than he did last season when he caught 13 passes for 174 yards and those two touchdowns.
During the offseason, Cignetti and head coach Dave Wannstedt made it a priority to develop more ways for Dickerson to be involved in the offense. He is used in conventional sets, but expect to see him in motion in the form of a H-back as well as split wide, where his speed can be used to create mismatches against linebackers.
"I know we're excited about finding ways to get him the football," Wannstedt said. "No one has worked harder in the offseason. He worked his tail off this spring. I'm a Dorin Dickerson fan. No one wants him to have success more than I do. You hope when you look back at the end of the year, you can say he was a huge part of what we did. That's the plan going in."
Dickerson was insistent about not redshirting as a freshman. He wanted to play right away and had high hopes of making significant contributions. His time at Pitt has flown by and his contributions have been few, but Dickerson said he wouldn't change a thing about his experience at Pitt even though he bounced from position to position before finding a home at tight end.
"I'm kind of happy because I'm a more versatile player," he said. "I was never in a three-point stance in my life, and now I'm a tight end. It just shows how much versatility I can bring to the game. In the long run that might help me. If something doesn't work out, I can just go somewhere else. Most guys can't do that."
In five days Dickerson will take the field against Youngstown State. He probably won't be in the starting lineup and has come to accept his role on the team.
Wannstedt calls him the ultimate team player, unselfish to the bone. But don't be mistaken. The competitor inside Dickerson desperately wants to leave Pitt with as much attention as when he arrived.
"I've been waiting around for a long time to do this," Dickerson said.
"This is my last chance, so I'm going to take full advantage of it. I want to be the best player I can be and show everyone who I really am, who I've always been."
First Published August 31, 2009 12:23 am
