It's now 5 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC.
To help pass those long summer days and get
the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming
season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the
football countdown each day until kickoff day.
Today, we will highlight two players who wear #5, one on offense and one on defense:
#5 Taron Dickens
Position Quarterback
Height 5-11
Weight 180
Class Redshirt Sophomore
Hometown Miami, Fla.
High School Northwestern HS
2025 (Redshirt Sophomore): Named first-team All-Southern Conference at quarterback and the SoCon Preseason Offensive Player of the Year ... Dubbed second-team Preseason All-America by Stats Perform FCS ... Appeared on the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Walter Payton Award Watch List.
2024 (Redshirt Freshman): Played in seven games with four consecutive starts at the end of the season in place of Cole Gonzales, guiding WCU to a 3-1 record as a starter … Finished 127-for-172, completing 73.8 percent of his pass attempts, with 12 touchdown passes and three interceptions … Tossed TD passes in five of the seven games he played … Rushed for 56 yards and two scores on the season … Made his first collegiate start in the home win over Chattanooga (Nov. 2), throwing for a career-high 431 passing yards with five passing touchdowns, adding 41 rushing yards on a career-high 19 attempts and one reception for eight yards to total 480 yards of total offense … Earned his first of two Southern Conference Player of the Week honors following the Chattanooga win … Eclipsed the 400-yard passing mark in the road win at Samford (Nov. 23), completing a career-high 36 passes for 408 yards and two TDs to earn SoCon Offensive Player of the Week accolades … Selected to the SoCon All-Freshman team … Named third-team Freshman All-America by Phil Steele and was a Freshman All-America honoree by FCS Football Central by Sports Illustrated … Was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, finishing 15th in the final vote … Completed 7-of-12 passes for a scrimmage-best 151 yards, including a nine-yard TD passes to lead the White Team in WCU’s annual Spring Game.
2023 (Freshman): Played in two games as a reserve at quarterback as a true freshman … Finished 4-for-6 passing for 127 yards and a touchdown … Made his collegiate debut in the home win over Charleston Southern (Sept. 23) … Completed 3-of-4 passes for a career-high 91 yards through the air including a long pass of 65 yards and his first career touchdown pass of 17 yards to Ca’Lique Cunningham … Rushed six times against the Buccaneers … Completed 1-of-2 passes against ETSU (Nov. 11) for 36 yards … In WCU’s annual Spring Game, completed 4-of-10 passes for 54 yards with an interception.
Prior to Western Carolina: In 10 games, completed 137-of-212 passes (64.6%) for 2,233 yards and 22 touchdowns with just four interceptions, according to MaxPreps … Added 424 rushing yards with five touchdowns on the ground … Selected as the Florida 6A Player of the Year and the top-rated passer in Florida … Over his final two years as a prep, passed for 5,976 yards with 64 touchdowns and 12 INTs, adding a total of 911 rushing yards and 14 scores … Listed as a three-star recruit by 247Sports and a two-star recruit by Rivals.
Personal: Full name is Taron Tyger Dickens.
Position Linebacker
Height 6-1
Weight 215
Class Senior
Hometown Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
High School TRU Prep Academy
Height 5-11
Weight 180
Class Redshirt Sophomore
Hometown Miami, Fla.
High School Northwestern HS
2025 (Redshirt Sophomore): Named first-team All-Southern Conference at quarterback and the SoCon Preseason Offensive Player of the Year ... Dubbed second-team Preseason All-America by Stats Perform FCS ... Appeared on the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Walter Payton Award Watch List.
2024 (Redshirt Freshman): Played in seven games with four consecutive starts at the end of the season in place of Cole Gonzales, guiding WCU to a 3-1 record as a starter … Finished 127-for-172, completing 73.8 percent of his pass attempts, with 12 touchdown passes and three interceptions … Tossed TD passes in five of the seven games he played … Rushed for 56 yards and two scores on the season … Made his first collegiate start in the home win over Chattanooga (Nov. 2), throwing for a career-high 431 passing yards with five passing touchdowns, adding 41 rushing yards on a career-high 19 attempts and one reception for eight yards to total 480 yards of total offense … Earned his first of two Southern Conference Player of the Week honors following the Chattanooga win … Eclipsed the 400-yard passing mark in the road win at Samford (Nov. 23), completing a career-high 36 passes for 408 yards and two TDs to earn SoCon Offensive Player of the Week accolades … Selected to the SoCon All-Freshman team … Named third-team Freshman All-America by Phil Steele and was a Freshman All-America honoree by FCS Football Central by Sports Illustrated … Was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, finishing 15th in the final vote … Completed 7-of-12 passes for a scrimmage-best 151 yards, including a nine-yard TD passes to lead the White Team in WCU’s annual Spring Game.
2023 (Freshman): Played in two games as a reserve at quarterback as a true freshman … Finished 4-for-6 passing for 127 yards and a touchdown … Made his collegiate debut in the home win over Charleston Southern (Sept. 23) … Completed 3-of-4 passes for a career-high 91 yards through the air including a long pass of 65 yards and his first career touchdown pass of 17 yards to Ca’Lique Cunningham … Rushed six times against the Buccaneers … Completed 1-of-2 passes against ETSU (Nov. 11) for 36 yards … In WCU’s annual Spring Game, completed 4-of-10 passes for 54 yards with an interception.
Prior to Western Carolina: In 10 games, completed 137-of-212 passes (64.6%) for 2,233 yards and 22 touchdowns with just four interceptions, according to MaxPreps … Added 424 rushing yards with five touchdowns on the ground … Selected as the Florida 6A Player of the Year and the top-rated passer in Florida … Over his final two years as a prep, passed for 5,976 yards with 64 touchdowns and 12 INTs, adding a total of 911 rushing yards and 14 scores … Listed as a three-star recruit by 247Sports and a two-star recruit by Rivals.
Personal: Full name is Taron Tyger Dickens.
#5 Hayward McQueen Jr.
Position Linebacker
Height 6-1
Weight 215
Class Senior
Hometown Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
High School TRU Prep Academy
2024 (Senior): Named first-team Preseason All-Southern Conference at linebacker.
2024 (Junior): Played in all 12 of the team’s games with seven starts at linebacker … Led the Catamounts with 61 total tackles, including 23 solo stops with 7.5 tackles for loss with a quarterback sack … Recorded tackles in 11 of his 12 seasonal games, booking five-or-more nine times … Credited with three quarterback hurries and three pass breakups … Had five tackles and forced a fumble in the season-opener at NC State (Aug. 29) … Posted five tackles with solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss against Campbell (Sept. 7) … Recorded double-digit tackles with 11 stops in the road win at Furman (Oct. 19), with three tackles for loss, including half a quarterback sack … Finished with eight tackles at Mercer (Oct. 26), with a pair of TFLs and half a sack … Tallied two tackles and a fumble recovery in the win over VMI (Nov. 16) … Credited with a season-best five solo stops at Samford (Nov. 23) … Posted six tackles including a TFL in WCU’s annual Spring Game.
2023 (Sophomore): Played in 10 of the team’s 11 games on the season with eight starts … Finished with 26 total tackles including 14 solo stops … Posted tackles in nine of the 10 games he played … Had 5.0 tackles for loss including a sack … Forced a fumble while also being credited with a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup … Recorded three tackles including a stop for loss in the season opener at Arkansas (Sept. 2) while also posting three stops at Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 16) … Finished with four tackles twice in the home wins over Charleston Southern (Sept. 23) and Furman (Oct. 21) … Credited with a season-high six tackles including four solo stops with a sack and a forced fumble on the road at VMI (Nov. 18).
2022 (Freshman): Early-enrollee where he took part in 2022 spring drills ... Played in all 11 of the team’s games with three starts at linebacker … Finished the season second on the WCU squad with 59 tackles including 27 solo stops with 3.0 tackles for loss with a sack and three quarterback hurries … Ranked 25th in the SoCon – and was the fourth-best freshman – with his 5.3 tackle per game average … Made his collegiate debut in the season-opener at Charleston Southern (Sept. 3), recording five tackles including his first career sack … Twice posted double-digit tackles including a career-best 13 tackles with eight solo stops against The Citadel (Oct. 22) … Was listed as an honorable mention for the FedEx Ground FCS National Freshman of the Week on Nov. 21 following a career-high 10 tackle performance that included a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry in the upset win over No. 17/15 Chattanooga in the regular-season finale … Named to the 2022 Southern Conference All-Freshman team on defense … Credited with six tackles including three tackles for loss with a sack in WCU’s annual 2023 Spring Game.
Prior to Western Carolina: Is a hybrid-style linebacker who joined the Catamount football team during the spring 2022 semester, participating in annual spring drills … Was a second-team Class 2-A Independent All-State team selection in the 2020 Independent All-State football team compiled by FloridaHSFootball.com … Posted 90+ tackles with 15 tackles for loss and five sacks, forcing a pair of fumbles as a senior … Listed as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com.
2024 (Junior): Played in all 12 of the team’s games with seven starts at linebacker … Led the Catamounts with 61 total tackles, including 23 solo stops with 7.5 tackles for loss with a quarterback sack … Recorded tackles in 11 of his 12 seasonal games, booking five-or-more nine times … Credited with three quarterback hurries and three pass breakups … Had five tackles and forced a fumble in the season-opener at NC State (Aug. 29) … Posted five tackles with solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss against Campbell (Sept. 7) … Recorded double-digit tackles with 11 stops in the road win at Furman (Oct. 19), with three tackles for loss, including half a quarterback sack … Finished with eight tackles at Mercer (Oct. 26), with a pair of TFLs and half a sack … Tallied two tackles and a fumble recovery in the win over VMI (Nov. 16) … Credited with a season-best five solo stops at Samford (Nov. 23) … Posted six tackles including a TFL in WCU’s annual Spring Game.
2023 (Sophomore): Played in 10 of the team’s 11 games on the season with eight starts … Finished with 26 total tackles including 14 solo stops … Posted tackles in nine of the 10 games he played … Had 5.0 tackles for loss including a sack … Forced a fumble while also being credited with a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup … Recorded three tackles including a stop for loss in the season opener at Arkansas (Sept. 2) while also posting three stops at Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 16) … Finished with four tackles twice in the home wins over Charleston Southern (Sept. 23) and Furman (Oct. 21) … Credited with a season-high six tackles including four solo stops with a sack and a forced fumble on the road at VMI (Nov. 18).
2022 (Freshman): Early-enrollee where he took part in 2022 spring drills ... Played in all 11 of the team’s games with three starts at linebacker … Finished the season second on the WCU squad with 59 tackles including 27 solo stops with 3.0 tackles for loss with a sack and three quarterback hurries … Ranked 25th in the SoCon – and was the fourth-best freshman – with his 5.3 tackle per game average … Made his collegiate debut in the season-opener at Charleston Southern (Sept. 3), recording five tackles including his first career sack … Twice posted double-digit tackles including a career-best 13 tackles with eight solo stops against The Citadel (Oct. 22) … Was listed as an honorable mention for the FedEx Ground FCS National Freshman of the Week on Nov. 21 following a career-high 10 tackle performance that included a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry in the upset win over No. 17/15 Chattanooga in the regular-season finale … Named to the 2022 Southern Conference All-Freshman team on defense … Credited with six tackles including three tackles for loss with a sack in WCU’s annual 2023 Spring Game.
Prior to Western Carolina: Is a hybrid-style linebacker who joined the Catamount football team during the spring 2022 semester, participating in annual spring drills … Was a second-team Class 2-A Independent All-State team selection in the 2020 Independent All-State football team compiled by FloridaHSFootball.com … Posted 90+ tackles with 15 tackles for loss and five sacks, forcing a pair of fumbles as a senior … Listed as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com.
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