When Austin Crockett quarterback Cameron Dickey put pen-to-paper on National Signing Day in December of 2023, he officially closed his high school recruitment with two offers: Texas Tech and Lamar.

A credit to the recruiting staff and evaluations behind closed doors, the Red Raider staffers have always held Dickey in high regard. Not earning the kind of recognition like some other high-caliber players does not seem to have bothered the young tailback.

“I think I was real humble about it,” Dickey said, acknowledging his somewhat slow recruitment process. “The schools that did look at me, they were really great and I had a great opportunity here, just took that… I would say it was really slow, it was slow in the beginning. Then I wouldn’t say it picked up, but definitely started to move along junior year. I would say that kind of goes back to me being a quarterback, I guess a lot of schools didn’t see me as a quarterback, so that could have an effect on it. I think the running back move was definitely the best move.”

Oddly enough, on signing day head coach Joey McGuire remarked that had Dickey been with the team on a fateful night in Provo earlier that season, he figured Dickey would have factored in at some level as a wildcat quarterback.

In four seasons at Crockett, Dickey amassed more than 4,000 rushing yards, while also playing defensively and serving as the team’s punter. Transitioning from high school QB to P4 running back is not a move one makes for the faint of heart.

Dickey’s talent and physical capabilities far outweigh the lack of recruiting pub that he received during his prep years, and that has made his move go as planned.

“I was worried a little about that because when you’re taking a snap, he’ll tell you the same thing, he could kinda run around,” running backs coach Kenny Perry said Tuesday. “Some of the teams he played against, they could have not even had an offensive lineman and he was gonna get four or five yards.

I think it’s more now him getting on path and understanding what our offensive line is doing, where some of the cuts are and you can’t just break everything outside and outrun guys. At this level it’s very hard to do. Just trying to get him to understand where the plays are gonna be hit and he’s got the vision to go wherever he needs to go.”

He stands 5-foot-10, weighing in at 215 pounds and looks like a seasoned college vet, not a freshman who has been on campus for all of nine months. Expected since before the season to contribute heavily behind Tahj Brooks, Dickey’s role will only continue to grow now with Cam Valdez sidelined for the season with a knee injury.

Three games into his freshman campaign, Dickey already has 18 carries and seven receptions, with two touchdowns under his belt.

“I would say that it’s definitely a different speed,” Dickey said. “Different speed than high school for sure. No joke, you go out there and you don’t know what you’re doing in there, it’ll end up bad either for you or another teammate. And you definitely don’t want that when they throw you in the game.”

General Manager James Blanchard started calling him “Captain America,” a nickname that has stuck around the building to what Dickey attributed was a combination of his size, speed and character.

A frequent disc golfer, Dickey enjoys listening to rap music, more specifically Philadelphia rapper OT7 Quanny, as a part of his pregame rituals. While his role continues to increase, his preparation stays the same.

Being versatile is part of what made him so successful at Crockett. Now his platform is even bigger to let that versatility shine for the red and black.

“I wouldn’t say that, I think I got here and it’s definitely been the same,” Dickey said, comparing his mentality to when he first arrived to now. “Just get here ready to work, whatever I need to do I’m ready for it. I’m prepared for it.”

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