This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Tavarreon Dickerson, Utah Sate's widely regarded true freshman running back, has left the Aggies.
Dickerson was considered to be one of the gems in USU's recruiting class, a speedster out of Texas who spurned offers from places like Pittsburgh, Louisiana Tech, Kansas and Indiana to join Gary Andersen's roster.
Andersen, when reached, declined to comment. He did confirm that Dickerson will remain in school, and get a job in an effort to obtain a degree and support his infant daughter. Dickerson will not remain on athletic scholarship.
Dickerson turned heads during the spring with his speed and his explosion. He had an uphill climb in order to obtain serious playing time in what is a crowded backfield. However, he was seen to be a player with exciting future potential as a three-star recruit, according to Scout.com and Rivals.com.
In terms of depth, the running back position won't be much affected this year. Kerwynn Williams will be the feature guy, Joe Hill will receive plenty of carries, while Robert Marshall and Abou Toure are two bigger backs who can get you tough yards.
But Dickerson's loss hurts for the future, and gives the Aggies a gap between classes at that position, a gap they will have to account for on the recruiting trail.
Tony Jones