HAMPTON, Ga. — Trey Dean is the No. 23-ranked safety in the country. The 6-foot-2, 180 pound junior out of Hampton (Ga.) Dutchtown has been offered a scholarship by three dozen schools coast to coast and he has been one of the hottest prospects in the south the past two months.
New offers continue to roll in, but are schools running out of time though? Nothing in recruiting is ever 100-percent final until the ink hits the paper and the letter of intent is faxed, but a decision by Dean may not be too far off.
Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech and South Carolina have already hosted the four star on campus this calendar year and more will see him in between 7v7 events the next two months. Likely towards the end of his school year in May, Dean will be ready to commit.
He is an early enrollee that wants to enter his senior season knowing his future home and he knows what he is looking for in a school.
IN HIS OWN WORDS...
ON UPCOMING DECISION: "I feel I will be ready to make my decision this spring," said Dean. "I will likely be ready to commit in May, but at the latest, in June. I still want to get out a little more, take a few more visits and I will then be ready."
IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT FOOTBALL: "When I am out on the road visiting schools I am looking at what I can do outside of football. Academics are very important to me, so I am learning about that and I want to see what a school can offer me in general outside of playing football. Nobody plays the game of football forever, so this is important. On the football side of it, I want to see how I fit into their defensive scheme, what position (safety or cornerback) they want me to play and how I fit with the coaches."
IN HOT PURSUIT: "UCLA, Alabama, Georgia and Oregon are the schools recruiting me the hardest right now. They fill my mailbox up, they are always coming at me and that means a lot to me. When a school shows me they need me and tells me they will take me now, that really means a lot. Some schools still want to see me at camp, so when schools show me I am high on their board, I look at them a little differently than the ones that still have questions."
DECISION ALMOST HAPPENED IN 2016: "I have been close to committing before. I was on the verge of committing before my junior season started, but I wasn't ready. I am glad I waited things out. I am glad I was patient because I have added offers, I have had more time to explore my options and I am much more ready to make a decision now than I was then."
RIVALS REACTION: Dean is keeping his options open and he says all the right things when it comes to leaders and favorites, but he is a Peach State talent who has visited Athens (Ga.) multiple times already this year and he has a great relationship with Mel Tucker (defensive coordinator) and Kirby Smart (head coach) at Georgia. The Dawgs are definitely right in the thick of this race. He wants to get out west and see California, UCLA and USC. Clemson, Florida (had the edge at one time) and Penn State are others he'd like to check out this spring. Can those schools beat out the home-state school? That is the biggest question.
