'I think I have a lot to offer': Ron Dickerson Jr. leaves UWF for job at Benedict College

Ron Dickerson Jr. knows that head coach opportunities at the college level don’t come often.

Especially opportunities like the one at Division II Benedict College, located in Columbia, South Carolina. So after conversations with family, friends and other coaches, that’s when he knew the job at Benedict was the one for him.

And Dickerson was introduced as the Tigers’ next head coach on Jan. 25 at a press conference that was virtually standing room only.

Dickerson, who was the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at the University of West Florida, said the job at Benedict is a “great situation to walk into” knowing the program know what direction it wants to go in.

“Benedict college, athletically, they’re doing very, very well,” Dickerson told the PNJ. “(Benedict has) a lot of things that a lot of other Division II schools are striving to get to. … It was fun, because a lot of the stuff I saw at UWF was very compatible to what they have at Benedict, and you’ve seen how successful UWF’s been.”

But taking the new job meant a couple tough conversations had to happen.

The first was with UWF head coach Kaleb Nobles. The pair had built a good relationship during Nobles’ first year at the helm of the Argos, Dickerson said.

“Coach Nobles looked at me and said, ‘Well, I kind of figured this was coming,’” Dickerson said. “We have a lot of things in common. We worked really good together. You would’ve never known that there was a transition from Coach (Pete) Shinnick to Coach Nobles. After we had the conversation, he gave me a hug and wished me the best of luck.”

The other conversation was to his wide receiver room, which consisted of about 19 players this past season. While some of those players were graduating, including John Jiles and Caden Leggett, a good amount were still returning.

“That was probably the hardest thing, having to tell those guys that I had a blessed opportunity. But I told them, ‘Guys, if you do the little things and you work hard every day, somebody will notice it,’” Dickerson said. “Sometimes, it may take a little longer, but by doing the right thing and putting your nose to the ground, you will be noticed.”

Moving to Benedict College means that Dickerson’s family also has to leave their “home and roots” of Pensacola. His youngest daughter, Ashten, graduated from Pace High School last year, so the area “will always be home for her.” His son, Keegan, is wrapping up his sophomore year at Pace.

Keegan and Dickerson’s wife, Kendreah – who Dickerson lovingly referred to as “Mrs. D.” and is from the Pensacola area – will finish the schoolyear out in Pensacola before moving to the Columbia area.

“Being a coach’s wife and coach’s kid, you meet friends – and if they’re genuine friends, they’ll always be your friend. I had to go through that, my sister had to go through that. There’s a lot of children have to go through that. Calling Pensacola home and our roots will be good,” Dickerson said. “When the time comes, we’ll move forward with everything. …

“We love Pensacola. We love everybody at West Florida. But, these opportunities don’t come – especially when you get opportunities such as this one at Benedict College – too often.”

This isn’t the first head coaching job that Dickerson has taken at the collegiate level. He was previously the head coach at Division I Gardner-Webb in 2011-12. In the years since, Dickerson said the biggest thing he’s learned is “patience,” while also making sure to let assistant coaches do their job.

“When I was a receivers coach, I had 20 guys. Now, I have 130 young men that I have to watch over; where I also have 11 other coaches I have to watch over, doing things and having them do them the right way,” Dickerson said. “There are a lot of other burdens that come with (being a head coach). But you can touch so many lives being a head coach, in a positive way off the field, and let transpire to on the field stuff.”

While it seemed like Dickerson, 52, had a dream job at UWF, coaching one of the top receiver rooms in the country and running one of the best offenses in Division II, Dickerson said he believes he “still has a lot to offer young men” in the game of football.

So, being able to lead a group of 130 or more players was what jumped out to him.

“With where I am at my age, watching the way Coach Shinnick did it, and watching the way Coach (Houston) Nutt did stuff … I think I have a lot to offer young men,” Dickerosn said. “We did a lot of praying and made sure everything was right about it. I talked to Coach Shinnick, I talked to Coach Nobles, I talked to Coach (Houston) Nutt. I talked to my dad. We just wanted to make sure it was the right feel and fit, and it was, so we pursued it.”

Benedict College made it to the NCAA Division II playoffs last year as the No. 1 seed in Region 2, the same region that UWF plays in. While the schools are not in the same conference, Dickerson said that “once (he) can get the team back on its feet” with players graduating and entering the transfer portal, he joked with Nobles that maybe the two coaches will face off in the playoffs.

Or, maybe, in the regular season in the near future.

“Hey, let me get over there, get my bearings straight, and that could be possible,” Dickerson said with a laugh.

Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Ron Dickerson Jr. hired by Benedict College as head football coach