High School

Former Miami Northwestern QB Transfers to ACC Program

Taron Dickens, who was previously at Western Carolina, broke an NCAA record last year

Kevin L. Smith

Chet Peterman / Special to The Post / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A former three-star recruit out of Miami Northwestern is making the transition from one college football program to another for the 2026 season.

Multiple reports, including one from USA Today, stated on Sunday that quarterback Taron Dickens is transferring to the University of North Carolina.

Dickens spent the last few seasons at Western Carolina, a Division I FCS program in the Southern Conference. During his time with the Catamounts, Dickens completed 402-of-543 passes for 5,063 yards and 51 TDs. On the ground, he rushed for 371 yards and three scores.

Last season, Dickens broke the NCAA record for consecutive completions in a single game with 46 in a row against Wofford. He was 53-of-56 on completions for 378 yards and four TDs in the Catamounts’ 23-21 victory.

Dickens capped his final season at Western Carolina with a school-record 3,508 passing yards, 38 TDs and two interceptions. He received FCS All-American honors and was also the runner-up for the Walter Payton Award, which is given to the top offensive player in the country.

At Miami Northwestern, Dickens compiled 5,976 passing yards, 64 TDs and 12 INTs through the final two years of prep. He also added 911 rushing yards and 14 scores.

His high school career totals included 72% on completions, 10,265 passing yards and 103 TDs. Dickens was also the Florida 6A Player of the Year for the Bulls.

According to USA Today, Dickens will compete against transfers Billy Edwards Jr. (Wisconsin) and Miles O'Neill (Texas A&M) for the starting job at UNC.

QBs Gio Lopez (Wake Forest), Max Johnson (Georgia Southern) and Bryce Barker (Virginia Tech) all transferred out of UNC in the offseason.

The Tar Heels went 4-8 in Bill Belichick’s first season as head coach. UNC recently brought on Bobby Petrino as its new offensive coordinator, filling the void left behind by Freddie Kitchens.

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Kevin L. Smith
KEVIN L. SMITH

Kevin L. Smith, a Rochester (NY) native and a graduate of St. Bonaventure University, has been covering high school sports for over a decade. He started out as a freelance sportswriter in 2013. Since then, he’s held sportswriter and editor positions for newspapers in Coudersport (PA), Sayre (PA) and Oswego (NY). Smith currently covers high school sports in the Greater Syracuse Area for syracuse.com | Post-Standard, a position he’s held since 2021. You can follow him on social media @KevLSmittie. Story ideas can be sent to KLSFreelancing@outlook.com.

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