National Signing Day 2021: Predicting where top 10 unsigned recruits sign

8. Avante Dickerson, CB, 4-star

Prediction: Nebraska Cornhuskers

Up until the last couple of weeks, there wasn’t much indication that Avante Dickerson had any other plans outside of suiting up for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. On Jan. 21, however, the 4-star cornerback decommitted from P.J. Fleck’s program. Now he plans to announce his new decision of where to sign on National Signing Day.

A product of Omaha, Dickerson is undoubtedly slight of frame at 6-foot, 170 pounds but he’s a phenomenal athlete. He’s a track star in addition to his football career and his elite speed shows up on the gridiron. Because of that, he can hang with anyone when dropping into coverage. That’s why he’s ranked as the No. 123 overall recruit and the No. 8 cornerback in the 2021 class.

After spurning the Gophers, it seems as if Dickerson’s new choice is down to the Oregon Ducks and Nebraska Cornhuskers. And when you look at the 247Sports Crystal Ball, their panel of experts is 70 percent on Oregon and 30 percent on Nebraska. Diving deeper, though, my gut tells me he lands with Scott Frost and the Huskers.

Not only do the two Nebraska insiders for 247Sports have Dickerson joining the Cornhuskers as a lock but this is a crucial get for Frost. For this program to get back on its feet, they have to get the top in-state talent. This year, that’s Dickerson, which leads me to believe they’re making a late push and will land the athletic defensive back.