Benedict football looking for better results in Ron Dickerson’s second season
After back-to-back playoff appearances, the Benedict College football team took a step back in Ron Dickerson’s first season.
Now, the Tigers are ready to get back on track. Benedict went 4-6 last year and missed out on the postseason for the first time in three years.
Dickerson was officially hired in January 2025 to replace Chennis Berry, who left to take the South Carolina State job. The Tigers lost several key roster pieces either to graduation or the transfer portal, and that made for a tough transition.
“There were a lot of filling holes, but that was the task and job that I took,” Dickerson said in a recent interview on SportsTalk. “Didn’t really have a spring because a lot of those guys weren’t on the team. Had to throw a team together in the fall. And you have to get chemistry, you have to understand the standard of what you are trying to do.
“We finished strong at the end of the year and that is what matters. Then we were able to have a good cycle of recruits. ... I feel really good about where we are as a team.”
The strength of the Tigers’ team is on defense, where they return nine starters. Dickerson was able to bring in some transfers to fill in the holes on the roster.
Benedict was picked to finish seventh in the 13-team Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference preseason poll
Three Players to Watch
Darius Ocean, QB: Ocean was one of the transfers to join the team. Benedict is his third college stop. He started out his career at Western Kentucky before transferring to Division II Johnson C Smith in Charlotte and helping the Bulls to their best season ever last season. The fifth-year senior completed 56% of his passes for 2,301 yards and 16 touchdowns as the Bulls went 8-2.
Ty’Metrius Patterson, LB: Patterson was picked as the preseason SIAC Defensive Player of the Year. Last year, the Michigan product had 53 tackles (13 for loss), three sacks, three forced fumbles and was a first-team all-conference selection.
Israel Nwokocha, DL: Nwokocha, from Georgia, was another first-team preseason all-SIAC selection. He led the Tigers with nine sacks (third most in SIAC) and had 39 tackles. He earned HBCU preseason honorable mention All-American honors.
Three Key Games
vs. Fayetteville State, Aug. 30: Season opener for the Tigers in the Labor Day Classic against Fayetteville State, which plays in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2019.
vs. Allen, Oct. 4: Annual matchup against their city rivals. The Tigers have won five straight against the Yellow Jackets, including last year’s 34-27 victory.
vs. Albany State, Oct. 25: Tigers host the preseason SIAC favorite in their next-to-last home game of the season. The two teams didn’t play last season and Benedict has won the last two in the series.
Benedict College 2025 football schedule
- Aug. 30: vs. Fayetteville State
- Sept. 13: at Central State
- Sept. 20: vs. Tuskegee
- Sept. 27: at Clark Atlanta
- Oct. 4: vs. Allen
- Oct. 11: vs. Fort Valley State
- Oct. 18: at Edward Waters
- Oct. 25: vs. Albany State
- Nov. 1: vs. Virginia University of Lynchburg
- Nov. 8: at Savannah State
