Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina redshirt sophomore quarterback Taron Dickens was selected today to the 2025 FCS Preseason All-America second-team by Stats Perform, as the publication began its preseason plaudit rollout ahead of the 2025 season.
 
Dickens, who went 3-1 as a starter to end the 2024 campaign, finished 15th overall nationally as a finalist for the 2024 Jerry Rice Award given to the nation's top freshman at the NCAA FCS level by the same group a season ago. He capped last season by being named to the Freshman All-America postseason team by both FCS Football Central from SI and Phil Steele, landing third-team honors from the latter.
 
It's the second-straight year that a Catamount quarterback has appeared on the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America team. Last season, QB Cole Gonzales was a third-team selection from the preeminent FCS coverage source.
   
A dual-threat QB from Miami, Fla., Dickens is poised to take the reins of an offensive unit that has paced the SoCon each of the past four seasons. After appearing twice as a true freshman in 2023, Dickens saw his most extensive action in 2024, when he was one of just five FCS quarterbacks to post 400 passing yards in two or more games that season.
 
Dickens played in seven games a season ago, seeing limited action in a reserve role to Gonzales in road games at NC State, Furman, and Mercer. He was thrust into the starting role against nationally ranked Chattanooga, responding with a career-high 431 passing yards and five TDs through the air, while adding 41 yards on the ground in amassing 480 all-purpose yards to lead WCU to the upset victory. His second 400-yard passing performance came in a historic road win at Samford, throwing for 408 yards on a career-high 36 completions with three going for scores in WCU's first road victory in Birmingham since 1969, halting a 10-game road slide and a 55-year drought.
 
All told, Dickens threw for 1,428 yards on 127-of-172 passing with 12 scores and three interceptions on the year. He added 56 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground, even adding two receptions for seven combined yards on batted passes he snared for positive yardage.
 
Dickens was twice named the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week a season ago, and was thrice honored by Stats Perform FCS with its top rookie honor. He garnered honorable mention accolades twice for the national Freshman of the Week, capturing the top prize once following the win over UTC.
 
Dickens is among seven players from five teams representing the Southern Conference to grace the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America team. Mercer defensive lineman Andrew Zock and punter Ian Williams from Furman landed on the first team. Wofford defensive back CJ Coombes and Mercer's Brayden Smith, as a punt returner, joined Dickens on the second team. Rounding out the SoCon septet are Furman offensive lineman Luke Petit and Nahil Perkins, a defensive back from Samford.
 
Preseason excitement revs up in one week as the Southern Conference convenes at the Hotel Hartness in Greenville, S.C., on Tuesday, July 22, for the 2025 SoCon Football Media Day. The preseason All-SoCon teams and predicted order of finish, as voted on by the league's head coaches, will be unveiled as the coaches and two players from each league team meet with members of the media, marking the unofficial start of the 2025 campaign. WCU fifth-year head coach Kerwin Bell is slated to be joined by all-conference candidates in defensive linemen Caleb Fisher and Micah Nelson next week for the annual preseason event.
 
Coming off consecutive seven-win season and a runner-up finish in the highly competitive Southern Conference a year ago, Western Carolina was ranked 18th in the HERO Sports preseason Top 25, with Craig Haley of Stats Perform notching the Catamounts No. 21 in his preseason Top 25 back in May.
 
Single-game tickets and game day parking for WCU's 2025 home-opener, under the lights at Whitmire Stadium against Gardner-Webb on Labor Day weekend, go on sale Wednesday, July 16, with the remaining five home dates available for purchase beginning July 23.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts).
 
ABOUT STATS PERFORM: Stats Perform, the sports tech leader in data and AI, offers unparalleled coverage of the FCS through its data-driven storytelling platform Opta Analyst. By delivering the Top 25 national media poll, comprehensive analysis, statistics, and insights, Stats Perform enhances the experience for FCS football fans and stakeholders alike.
 
This year, Stat Perform will cap the 15th anniversary season of the Jerry Rice Award, which is presented to the FCS National Freshman Player of the Year, and also include the presentations of the Walter Payton Award (FCS Offensive Player of the Year), Buck Buchanan Award (FCS Defensive Player of the Year), Eddie Robinson Award (FCS Coach of the Year), HBCU National Player of the Year and Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year at its awards presentation in Nashville, Tenn.
 

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2025 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team
 
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB – Derek Robertson, Monmouth, R-Sr., 6-2, 200
RB – Roland Dempster, Stony Brook, R-Sr., 6-0, 225
RB – Charles Pierre Jr., South Dakota, R-Jr., 5-10, 205
WR – Marquis Buchanan, Rhode Island, R-So., 6-4, 175
WR – Bryce Lance, North Dakota State, R-Sr., 6-3, 204
WR – Jalen Walthall, UIW, R-Sr., 6-2, 180
TE – Chris Corbo, Dartmouth, Sr., 6-4, 245
OL – Michael Bennett, Yale, Sr., 6-5, 302
OL – Titan Fleischmann, Montana State, Jr., 6-4, 300
OL – Trent Fraley, North Dakota State, Jr., 6-1, 301
OL – Delby Lemieux, Dartmouth, Sr., 6-4, 280
OL – Jake Picard, Villanova, R-Sr., 6-4, 310

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL – Ckelby Givens, Southern, Sr., 6-2, 230
DL – Rasheed Lovelace, Nicholls, R-Jr., 6-3, 310
DL – Matt Spatny, Lehigh, Sr., 6-2, 245
DL – Andrew Zock, Mercer, So., 6-2, 250
LB – James Conway, Fordham, Grad, 6-2, 235
LB – Tye Niekamp, Illinois State, Jr., 6-3, 240
LB – A.J. Pena, Rhode Island, Sr., 6-2, 243
LB – Will Shaffer, Abilene Christian, Grad, 6-0, 224
DB – Rex Connors, UC Davis, Sr., 6-1, 210
DB – Jalen Jones, William & Mary, Sr., 6-0, 190
DB – Abu Kamara, Yale, Jr., 6-1, 208
DB – Malcolm Reed, North Carolina Central, Sr., 6-3, 180
 
FIRST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Ian Williams, Furman, Grad, 6-3, 226
P – Jeff Yurk, Elon, R-Sr., 6-2, 224
LS – Dylan Calabrese, Illinois State, Sr., 6-1, 230
KR – Travis Terrell, Jackson State, So., 5-8, 165
PR – Taco Dowler, Montana State, Jr., 5-9, 175
AP – Michael Wortham, Montana, Grad, 5-9, 177
 
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB – Aidan Bouman, South Dakota, R-Sr., 6-5, 225
QB – Taron Dickens, Western Carolina, R-So., 5-11, 180
RB – Jamar Curtis, Sacramento State, Sr., 5-8, 169
RB – Adam Jones, Montana State, R-So., 6-1, 200
RB – Wenkers Wright, Illinois State, Sr., 6-1, 205
WR – Kylon Harris, Stephen F. Austin, Sr., 5-11, 160
WR – Chedon James, UIW, R-Jr., 5-9, 173
WR – Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois State, Sr., 6-3, 205
TE – Winston Williams, UC Davis, Sr., 6-4, 235
OL – Brock Bethea, Rhode Island, R-Sr., 6-5, 305
OL – Quinten Christensen, South Dakota State, Jr., 6-5, 300
OL – JT Cornelius, Monmouth, Grad, 6-6, 290
OL – Langston Jones, Lehigh, Sr., 6-3, 315
OL – Gavin Ortega, Weber State, Sr., 6-5, 300
OL – Hunter Smith, Tarleton State, Sr., 6-5, 300
 
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL – Toby Anene, North Dakota State, Jr., 6-4, 260
DL – Paul Brott, Montana State, Sr., 6-3, 290
DL – Lando Brown, Southern Utah, R-Sr., 5-11, 215
DL – Kobe Clayborne, South Dakota State, Sr., 6-0, 275
LB – Carter Glassmyer, Richmond, R-Jr., 6-1, 201
LB – Shane Hartzell, Villanova, Sr., 6-0, 230
LB – Erick Hunter, Morgan State, Sr., 6-4, 210
LB – Logan Kopp, North Dakota State, R-Sr., 6-1, 221
DB – Ty Bartrum, Harvard, Sr., 6-1, 195
DB – C.J. Coombes, Wofford, So., 6-0, 208
DB – Tim Coutras, Tennessee Tech, Grad, 6-0, 198
DB – JaMichael McGoy Jr., UT Martin, R-Sr., 5-10, 170
DB – Tyler Morton, UIW, R-Sr., 5-10, 170
 
SECOND TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Hunter Ridley, UC Davis, Jr., 6-1, 195
PK – Owen Zalc, Dartmouth, Jr., 5-10, 165
P – Gilbert Brown, Charleston Southern, R-Sr., 6-0, 175
LS – Brett Welsing, Drake, Sr., 6-2, 233
KR – Jackson Williams, North Dakota State, So., 5-11, 180
PR – Brayden Smith, Mercer, Jr., 5-10, 185
AP – Ethan Greenwood, LIU, R-Jr., 6-0, 193
AP – Julius Loughridge, South Dakota State, Sr., 6-0, 215
 
THIRD TEAM OFFENSE
QB – Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State, Sr., 5-11, 205
QB – Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, Fifth Year, 6-0, 210
RB – Mari Adams, Davidson, Sr., 5-11, 210
RB – Eli Gillman, Montana, R-Jr., 6-0, 208
WR – Samuel Musungu, Cornell, Jr., 6-1, 192
WR – Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, Sr., 5-10, 190
WR – Max Tomczak, Youngstown State, Sr., 6-0, 195
TE – Trey McDonald, William & Mary, Sr., 6-6, 230
OL – Will Diggins, Central Arkansas, Sr., 6-4, 325
OL – Ashton Grable, Florida A&M, R-Sr., 6-4, 315
OL – Ryan McKenna, William & Mary, Grad, 6-4, 305
OL – Traveon Newsome, UIW, R-Sr., 6-2, 350
OL – Netinho Olivieri, Penn, Sr., 6-5, 305
OL – Luke Petit, Furman, R-Sr., 6-3, 285
 
THIRD TEAM DEFENSE
DL – Jake Anderson, Illinois State, R-Jr., 6-5, 290
DL – Noah Miles, Howard, Sr., 6-4, 250
DL – Kaghen Roach, Abilene Christian, Grad, 6-5, 255
DL – Declan Williams, UIW, Sr., 6-2, 245
DL – Jeremiah Williams, Jackson State, R-Sr., 6-3, 285
LB – Colin Bohanek, Southern Illinois, Sr., 6-0, 227
LB – Porter Connors, UC Davis, Sr., 6-1, 220
LB – Jake Dalmado, Nicholls, Sr. 5-11, 200
LB – Nate Ewell, South Dakota, Sr., 6-2, 225
LB – Peyton Wing, Montana, Jr., 6-0, 230
DB – Kimal Clark, Indiana State, Sr., 5-10, 200
DB – Charles Demmings, Stephen F. Austin, Sr., 6-1, 185
DB – Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, Sr., 6-0, 200
DB – Nahil Perkins, Samford, Grad, 6-0, 178
DB – Jaheim Ward, Eastern Kentucky, R-Sr., 6-2, 189
 
THIRD TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Will Leyland, South Dakota, R-Sr., 5-11, 180
P – Brendon Kilpatrick, Youngstown State, Sr., 6-2, 220
LS – Kaydon Olivia, South Dakota State, Sr., 5-11, 215
KR – Keondray Jones-Logan, South Dakota, Jr., 5-7, 175
KR – Donovan Wadley, Central Connecticut State, Sr., 5-9, 180
PR – Malique Leatherbury, Morgan State, So., 5-9, 160
AP – Jaylan Spears, UIW, R-Jr., 5-10, 200