California DT Dakota Dickson commits to SMU

SMU landed a commitment from 2026 Danville (Calif.) Monte Vista defensive tackle Dakota Dickson after his official visit, he announced. The 6-4, 270-pounder picked the Mustangs over Boise State, Cal, Ole Miss, Washington and others.

SMU got on Dickson early and didn’t let up in his recruiting process, leading to the commitment for defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux.

This past season for Monte Vista, he lined up plenty on the interior, recording 55 tackles, 14 stops for loss, 5 sacks, 9 quarterback hits and 3 pass deflections in 11 games. 

According to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, Dickson is the No. 598 overall prospect in the country, No. 65 defensive lineman in the nation and No. 53 prospect in California.

SMU now has a pair of defensive tackles committed in the 2026 recruiting class with Mesquite (Tex.) Poteet defensive lineman Keith Dotie also pledged to the Mustangs. Rhett Lashlee & Co. already have a Top 25 recruiting class and Dickson is a huge recruiting win for SMU to add to that.

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