4-Star DL Matt Dickerson Flips Commitment from Notre Dame to UCLA

The UCLA Bruins' offseason just keeps getting better.

On Thursday night, 247Sports’ Justin Hopkins broke the news, via Twitter, that 4-star defensive lineman Matt Dickerson has flipped his commitment from Notre Dame to UCLA:

Although Dickerson had originally committed to South Bend back in August, Bruins assistant Angus McClure never stopped pursuing. Eventually, the hard work and determination finally paid off.

However, Dickerson’s change of heart was influenced largely by unfortunate circumstances.

The San Mateo, Calif., native’s father was diagnosed with prostate cancer just three weeks ago. His mother is also disabled.

After careful deliberation, Dickerson knew what he had to tell Irish assistant coach Mike Denbrook.

“Calling [Denbrook] was a really, really hard thing to do, but it was the right thing,” Dickerson said, via MaxPreps’ Mitch Stephens. “I looked so forward to playing for the Irish. But I’m doing what’s best for my family and I.”

That kind of decision-making only goes to showcase the maturity of the 6’5”, 275-pounder.

Although Dickerson didn’t play a single down of football during his senior season after suffering a small vertebrae fracture, he’s still considered the No. 26-ranked defensive tackle in the country in by a 247Sports composite.

All of this comes during a very exciting stretch for the UCLA community. Earlier in the week, redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley announced his decision to return for his junior season, via ESPN.com.

With Dickerson’s commitment, the Bruins jumped up 17 spots to No. 25 in 247Sports’ recruiting class ranking. UCLA currently has 17 total commitments.

All stats and rankings used in this article are courtesy of CFBstats.com.

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