Breakdown from Brad Shepard
"The 62″, 180-pound, hard-hitting safety from Dutchtown High School in Hampton, Georgia, visited Knoxville this past weekend. He went ahead and committed to the Vols on Wednesday despite nearly 75 percent of his Crystal Ball projections going to Alabama, after the Crimson Tide offered him two weeks ago.
Dean is one of the top 300 players in the country and was one of Tennessees top defensive back targets. Now, if the Vols can somehow land Jaycee Horn, that will be a dynamic recruiting class. Adding Horn to Tanner Ingle and Brandon Cross for the cornerback haul and pairing Dean with Chattanooga stud Brendon Harris makes this a potentially stellar DB haul for first-year secondary coach Charlton Warren.
Dean has the kind of offer list youre looking for regardless of position. Along with the Crimson Tide, home-state Georgia, Clemson, South Carolina, Miami and Texas also had offered, along with many more.
Prior to visiting Knoxville this past weekend for Tennessees season-opening practice, Dean was thought to be a long shot. It looked like it was going to be a battle between Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. But Dean apparently loved what he saw. The newest commitment surges Tennessee to the top of the SEC recruiting rankings per 247Sports and sixth nationally.
Tennessee now has a 5-star prospect and eight composite 4-stars. If you look at the offer sheets of some of the 3-stars the Vols have gotten thus far, its obvious that at least on paper this is head coach Butch Jones strongest class by far. With 6-7 spots remaining, its going to be interesting to see how the Vols use them.
Theyll almost certainly take at least one more defensive back, two receivers, an offensive lineman, and perhaps two more rush defensive ends. If they elect to just take one defensive lineman, the Vols could use that position on a best-available guy at tight end, linebacker or something else.
This class has it all. The Vols have two excellent quarterback prospects with high upside, perhaps the best defensive line haul of the Jones era, quality offensive linemen highlighted by 5-star Cade Mays and a good defensive back stable. They also have two running backs they really like.
If UT can add a couple of impact receivers, this is about the best it could hope for. Shocky Jacques-Louis and Jeshaun Jones are a pair of receivers who are strongly looking at UT, and Horn is perhaps the top remaining prospect on UTs board. Offensive tackle Jerome Carvin is a potential pledge, too.
But tonight is about Dean, and today is about defense. Flint brought the speed as a linebacker prospect, and though Dean isnt the fastest defensive back prospect, hell pack a punch when he fills out his frame. Hes a potential force, a punisher on the back end who can do a lot of different things from the back level."
