For months, the buzz around Westside junior defensive back Avante Dickerson has been palpable. While garnering attention from powerhouses such as Louisiana State (LSU), Ohio State and Nebraska, among others, Dickerson is widely considered to be the top football prospect in Nebraska.

The chase for Dickerson ended on Friday afternoon when he committed to the University of Minnesota, a member of the Big Ten Conference. Dickerson acknowledged the attention he had been receiving in a  tweet statement.

“I just wanna thank every coach that offered me a scholarship and appreciate every single coach that took the time to recruit me,” Dickerson said.

Westside head coach Brett Froendt said that the attention is a testament to the program and the player that Dickerson is.

“It’s certainly great for our school and for our football program,” Froendt said. “Any time you have talented kids, they develop through your program. That’s a reflection on the program their in, their coaches around them, their teammates around them and all the coaches that helped them along the way through their youth activities as well.”

With Dickerson’s senior season fast approaching, Froendt said he doesn’t want the junior to just be a highly touted recruit.

“I don’t want Avante leaving our school just being a high level recruit and a division one football player,” Froendt said. “I want him to leave as a legend. I think his best year is yet to come.”

At this time, Dickerson’s senior season is set to kick off in August when Westside hosts archrival Creighton Prep. He will then head to Minnesota, where head coach PJ Fleck and Co. finished second in the Big Ten West Division with an 11-2 record in 2019.