The UCLA Football team continues to building on the offensive line by snagging a commitment from junior college offensive tackle Jason Dickson. Dickson will enroll in January and be eligible for the 2018 season.
Just two weeks ago this UCLA Football offensive line was full of questions. While those questions still exist, they have been lessened. Last week the Bruins scooped up a major find in graduate transfer Sunny Odogwu. Today they landed another commitment at a position of great need.
Jason Dickson who is originally from Cornoa here in Southern California, played his college football at Diablo Valley College which is in Pleasantville. A three star recruit according to 247sports.com, Dickson had offers from two other PAC-12 schools and a number of others. As the starting left tackle for the Vikings, Dickson paved the way for an offense that ran for 119 yards per game and passed for 230 yards per game. It isn’t often you average almost 26 points a game without a solid left tackle.
Dickson’s commitment gives the impression that the coaching staff is taking all the right steps to make 2016 an anomaly rather than a trend. Go Joe Bruin takes a deeper dive into what this commitment means for the UCLA Football squad.
Listed at six-foot-seven and 295 pounds, Dickson looks every inch of that height on tape. What he also shows is the athleticism of a much smaller man. His kickslide, although raw, is smooth and he recovers well. When he gets to the second level on run plays away from his side he shows impressive burst for a man weighing almost 300 pounds.
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However in his run game his technique leaves something to be desired. While he’s strong, he needs to refine his hand placement and I’d like to see him finish more often. He can wall off defenders with his massive frame but doesn’t blow guys off the ball. Of course, because he won’t be eligible to play until 2018 there’s plenty of time for him to improve his play.
What this means immediately for the UCLA Football team is that should Dickson stay with his commitment, and it does seem solid, there could be such much needed depth on the way. Dickson is a raw player but has athleticism that in my opinion hasn’t been seen on this offensive line in years. All I think is current New Orleans Saints LT Terron Armstead when I see Dickson’s athleticism on display.
Despite hesitation I may show about Dickson, he does have the raw tools to succeed and has clearly caught the eye of new offensive line coach Hank Fraley. His only negatives revolve around technique and not ability meaning those can be cleaned up with competent coaching.
From what I’ve seen on film I believe Dickson can be a swing tackle for the Bruins and has all the tools to play left tackle at a high level provided he gets the coaching he needs to reach his ceiling.
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His commitment gives the Bruins, whether warranted or not, sense of relief and optimism regarding their offensive line status as the 2017 season approaches.