Four-star safety isn't close to making his decision as to where he's going to play football at the collegiate level, but he did reveal this week that if a recently departed Florida Gators' head coach was still on staff that he would have already committed to Florida.
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Dean said that if Torrian Gray hadn't left the team for a coaching job with the Washington Redskins, he would have "probably" committed to the Gators already.
Via 247sports:
"If he was still there I probably would have already committed there," said Dean about the Gators. "Him leaving kind of hurt Florida's chances because at the time I didn't have that bond with Coach [Corey] Bell. He's been to my school a few times to check on me and he's a great guy, but that relationship I had with Coach Gray was really strong and I would have committed there if he was still on staff."
Still, the Gators should feel good about their chances of still landing the safety. The program has a history of developing first-round picks in the defensive backfield, and Dean would likely thrive in Gainesville with his style of play. The team also has an advantage with Ahmad Black, a former Gator and Dean's cousin, constantly encouraging Dean to commit to Florida.
Dean is rated as the No. 21 safety in the class of 2018, per 247sports.
