Oregon Football: Will Avante Dickerson have prominent role in 2021?

Two weeks out from the 2021 season, Oregon football has a few position battles to keep an eye on, including quarterback and even the two-deep at cornerback.

Both sides of the ball have question marks and while we may not know who the starting quarterback is until the 2021 season kicks off, we should have some more clarity on the battle soon. It looks like four quarterbacks are still vying for the starting job and that’s taken center stage during fall camp.

But the cornerback position is also under the microscope, especially with DJ James getting suspended a couple of weeks ago for an off-field incident.

Mykael Wright and Dontae Manning are the projected starters and I truly believe those are the two best cornerbacks on the roster — even if James wasn’t suspended. But there’s some talented depth on the roster and with James gone for the time being, there’s a chance some of the young guys could rise up and win some spots on the two-deep.

Right now, I’d say that Trikweze Bridges is on the two-deep along with Avante Dickerson.

Jaylin Davies is right there, especially since he enrolled early, but I think Dickerson was the prized signee in the 2021 class in terms of cornerbacks. I think he’s going to make a big climb over the next couple of weeks and fit right in as the backup to Wright when the season kicks off.

Will Dickerson have a prominent role with Oregon football?

It’s tough for true freshmen to have major impacts, but I think we’ll see Dickerson grow into a prominent role with the Ducks, backing up one of the best cornerbacks in the Pac-12.

Dickerson is going to see the field plenty this season, assuming he continues to improve over the next couple of weeks and doesn’t suffer any injury setbacks. Even when James does return, I think he’s the fourth-best cornerback option on the team, just ahead of Bridges and Davies.

We may not see him have a Freshman All-American season in 2021, but we’re going to see flashes of brilliance from the first-year cornerback from Nebraska who was ranked the No. 122 recruit in the incoming class.

Keep an eye on the freshman who has good length and size and who has been compared to David Long by Gabe Brooks, dubbed a future mid-round NFL draft prospect.