The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Thompson, Dicker preparing for Senior Bowl
02.04.2022 | Football
Former Longhorns DB Josh Thompson and K/P Cameron Dicker are in Mobile, Ala., preparing for the 2022 Senior Bowl that will be played on Saturday.
MOBILE, Ala. – Former Texas defensive back Josh Thompson and kicker/punter Cameron Dicker are set to compete on Saturday in the 2022 Reese's Senior Bowl, taking place in Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama.
Both will participate as part of the American Team roster led by the coaching staff from the Detroit Lions, while the National Team is being led by the staff from the New York Jets.
Time to shine. Watch Josh Thompson and Cameron Dicker in the @seniorbowl 🤘@_Joshuat9 @camerondicker
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) February 4, 2022
📺: Saturday 1:30pm CT on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/G5HNT1koRI
Kickoff for the 2022 Senior Bowl is slated for 1:30 p.m. CT with game broadcast on the NFL Network.
Something to prove. Our guy Josh Thompson is ready for the Senior Bowl 🤘 @_Joshuat9
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) February 4, 2022
📺: Saturday 1:30pm CT on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/evvLlzKf7r
During his career on the Forty Acres, Thompson logged 109 tackles (79 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, recovered one fumble, broke up eight passes and intercepted two in 45 games (22 starts). He recorded at least five tackles in six games, with three of those games taking place in 2021. This season, the Nacogdoches, Texas native appeared in and started nine games while serving one game as a team captain. Despite missing three games due to injury, he established career highs in tackles (34) and solo tackles (23), while also recovering the first fumble and intercepting the second pass of his career. Against Oklahoma State, Thompson established single-game career bests with seven tackles and six solo tackles, while also breaking up one pass. In Texas' 70-35 victory over Texas Tech, he returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown for the first score of his career and the Longhorns' first interception return for a touchdown since 2017. He had a breakout season in 2020, starting all 10 games for the Longhorns and registering 28 tackles (19 solo) with career highs in tackles for loss (three) and passes broken up (four).
Dicker. The kicker.@camerondicker back at it for the @seniorbowl🤘
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) February 5, 2022
📺: Saturday 1:30pm CT on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/bw8INdf1Lt
Dicker was one of the most successful kickers in Texas history. During his time on the Forty Acres, he appeared in 49 games and scored 386 points for the Longhorns, the most points ever by a Texas kicker and the third-most among any position in program history. He is UT's career leader in field goals made (60), tied for first in career attempts (79), is second all-time in extra points made (206) and attempted (210), and fourth in career field goal accuracy at 75.9 percent (60-for-79). During a stretch from 2020-21, Dicker was successful on 70 consecutive extra point attempts, the fourth-longest streak in program history, and made his final 12 field goal attempts of 2021, the fourth-longest string for a Longhorn. His four 50-yard field goals are tied for the sixth-most in UT history, including a 57-yard field goal at Rice in 2019 that is tied for the seventh-longest ever for a Longhorn.
The Austin native made a name for himself for his clutch performances. As a freshman in 2018, Dicker connected on a 40-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining in the AT&T Red River Showdown to defeat seventh-ranked Oklahoma, 48-45. In 2019, he had a pair of walk-off field goals, kicking a 26-yard field goal to defeat No 16 Kansas State, 27-24, and then making a 33-yard try to down Kansas, 50-48, the following week.
This season, Dicker had a field goal accuracy percentage of 86.7 percent (13-of-15), the fourth-best single-season mark for a Longhorn. In Texas' 70-35 victory over Texas Tech, he tied UT single-game records for extra points attempted (10) and made (10). Against TCU, Dicker registered a single-game career best with four successful field goal attempts, tied for the fifth-most by a Longhorn and one shy of the program record. He handled punting duties as well, punting 47 times for 2,200 yards for an average of 46.8 yards per punt, the third-best single-season average in program history. He had 16 punts of 50-plus yards, including a 78-yard punt versus Oklahoma and a 77-yard boot against Oklahoma State, respectively the fifth- and sixth-longest punts in Texas history.
Dicker earned 2021 All-Big 12 First Team honors at punter from the league's coaches and was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award. He was a two-time All-Big 12 Second Team selection as a kicker (2018, '20) and twice earned honorable mention nods (2017, '19). A semifinalist for the National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy Award in 2021, Dicker was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection (2019-21) and a five-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
