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Arizona State’s Erik Dickerson wanted to excel in basketball but he never really got tall enough he could envision that sport being his forte. When he was in the eighth grade his father stumbled across a camp for the lesser known role in football of long snapping and encouraged his son to give it a try.
He is glad he did. Dickerson, a local product out of Chaparral High School, is now in his third season as starting long snapper for the Sun Devils special teams units. He has aspirations of excelling in that role at the next level and doesn’t mind that it’s a position where the player is rarely acknowledged except when something on special teams goes awry.
“I love it. You just do your job and you have fun and that’s what I try and do,” he said.
In December of his eighth grade year Dickerson started working with Ben Bernard, a noted expert in that field who works out of Glendale. He credits his training with Bernard for much of his success. He also played linebacker at Chaparral but always felt long snapping was something that better suited him.
Despite the proliferation of camps and tutoring available in that aspect which have popped over the last decade, it’s still an area overlooked by most athletes looking to play in college and after that.
“As a linebacker I was OK but I saw potential, that if I worked hard at it that I could take it pretty far,” he said. “It was just a matter of training and I just kept working at it.”
Dickerson drew some interest from Division I schools but his grades slipped as he struggled with a difficult family situation late in his high school career. He didn’t qualify academically so he chose to stay close to home and attend Scottsdale Community College which gave him an opportunity to improve both in the classroom and on the field.
It worked. He got the attention of ASU special teams coach Shawn Slocum who encouraged him to walk on with the Sun Devils. Dickerson did so, redshirting his inaugural season in 2018 but earning a scholarship a year later.
He has progressed quite a bit since then. Before the season started he was named to the “Watch List” for the Patrick Mannelly Award, given annually to college football’s best long snapper. He was named to that last season as well.
The Sun Devils have a couple others working at the trade too in sophomore Gage King and freshman John Ferlmann, another local out of Boulder Creek. Slocum says his specialists have a nice rapport with each other which is natural because they’re usually off to the side working on their craft while the offense and defenses are out on the practice field.
Dickerson has also been working closely with junior Ethan Long, who is now serving as holder after the departure of previous holder Michael Turk.
In most cases they’re out of sight because while the Sun Devils are running through drills on the Kajikawa practice fields, the snappers are inside the Verde Dickey Dome getting in their work.
“We’re always working, throughout most of practice. We’re usually doing something in the dome. We don’t have as much down time as people think,” he said.
Slocum appreciates having Dickerson in the fold.
“The best thing about Erik is his consistency. He puts the ball right in the frame of the punter’s upper body which is where you want it,” Slocum said. “I know I don’t have to worry about him. Coaches have a lot to deal with and the last thing you want to have to worry about is your long snapper.”
Dickerson earned his degree in communications in December but is one of the many Sun Devils who opted to take advantage of the extra season of eligibility the NCAA granted athletes because of the circumstances around the 2020 season.
Slocum, who has a Super Bowl ring as special teams coordinator for the Green Bay Packers in 2010, thinks it was a good decision. He says Dickerson needs to work on his velocity and body mass and getting stronger if he is to pursue the sport at the next level.
“He has potential. There are things he has to work on and he knows that. A lot of guys work on those things for a couple of years after they’re out of college before they get the chance so he has that going for him. He also has the work ethic.”
“The good thing is when you’re a long snapper, once you get to the NFL you stick around for awhile.”
Dickerson doesn’t know when his time will come but he’ll keep working at it, even though it’s out of the spotlight.
“That’s my goal, to play in the NFL. That’s my dream so I’m going to keep working toward that. Whatever it takes,” he said.
Zendejas back in fold
Slocum confirmed that kicker Cristian Zendejas, a product of Perry High School, is back in the program after initially putting his name in the transfer portal after last season.
The coach said he wasn’t sure that the local standout would be ready to play this week when the Sun Devils (1-0) host UNLV (0-1) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium.
Slocum said the original plan was to have true freshman Eddie Czaplicki battle for the place kicking job with Logan Tyler and walk-on Jace Feely with Turk the incumbent at punter. Tyler also does the kicking off. Once Turk departed, that left Czaplicki to focus on the punting job.
Another kicker, Jack Luckhurst, also previously transferred.
“Once Turk left that changed some things,” Slocum said. “There was an opportunity here for him so we’ll see.”
Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602 444-4783. Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports.
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