Tag: Trey Dean

Coveted 4-star running back recruit makes room for Florida official visit

Big time running back prospect will be making a stop in Gainesville this month.

Now that the calendar has flipped to June, Florida football’s recruiting staff will be hosting a plethora of prep prospects over the coming months starting this weekend. New head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has been burning the candle at both ends with his staff in an effort to get the Gators back on the winning track.

So far, Florida has done a pretty good job clawing back up the recruiting rankings, recently cracking ESPN’s top-25 rankings update and landing at No. 23 as May came to a close. However, there is still a great deal of work remaining and the Gators have not been slacking on the job.

One of the bigger names expected to drop into Gainesville this month is 4-star running back Justice Haynes out of Roswell (Georgia) Blessed Trinity Catholic, who recently made some changes to his summer school tour and managed to squeeze in Florida for an official visit on June 10, according to 247Sports.

The 5-foot-10-inch, 200-pound back has made the trip to the Swamp once before when he made an unofficial visit earlier this spring with his family, including his father Verron Haynes, a former Georgia Bulldogs standout who played eight seasons in the NFL.

“I’d be lying… if I didn’t say that right now, as far as all the whole recruiting goes, [Florida] did the best thus far from the standpoint of courting Justice the athlete and courting Justice the person,” he told 247Sports in a phone interview in regards to their recent visit.

“It was a really impressive visit, definitely one of the most impressive visits I’ve had ever,” according to Justice himself, per GatorsOnline after his early April stop. “They showed love as soon as I got there. The whole army of staff was down there. The players also knew me. I met [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag] and [autotag]Chief Borders[/autotag].”

Haynes ranks No. 45 overall and No. 3 nationally at his position, according to the 247Sports Composite, while the On3 Consensus lists him at Nos. 38 and 4, respectively. Georgia is way out front in his recruitment with a 94.6% chance of landing him, per On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, while Florida sits in third place with a 1.2% chance.

[mm-video type=video id=01g4jezm69zs2smg6vy7 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g4jezm69zs2smg6vy7/01g4jezm69zs2smg6vy7-e00a9c897798ae67dc9dab6aeed5e80c.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=84870,84840,84816,84835,84790]

[listicle id=84805]

[listicle id=84663]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Check out where ESPN thinks Florida’s future defense ranks

Will the new coaching staff lead Florida to an elite defense over the next few years? ESPN like UF’s chances.

If you like way-too-early predictions and projections, ESPN’s latest ranking of future defenses might interest you. Georgia made it clear in 2021 that defense is king, at least for now, and it’s worth taking a look ahead at which teams have the most talent on that side of the ball.

Before we dive into it, let’s take a look at exactly what’s being measured in these defensive rankings. It’s impossible to know exactly what a team is going to look like over the next couple of years, but ESPN has opted to take the current rosters and look as far ahead as 2024 to get the job done. Returning players, incoming transfers and expected NFL departures are all factored into these rankings. Still, those changes can continually affect a program if they come up consistently.

With that being said, ESPN has Florida at a respectable No. 21 on the list after finishing at No. 12 last year. The drop is hardly surprising considering the disaster of a defense the Gators have fielded over the past two years. Let’s not forget that defensive coordinator [autotag]Todd Grantham[/autotag] was the first domino to drop in the collapse of the Mullen regime. [autotag]Kaiir Elam[/autotag] and [autotag]Zachary Carter[/autotag], two key contributors over the last two seasons, are also gone via the NFL draft.

“Florida is one of the tougher teams to project after so many changes, on both its roster and the coaching staff. But the foundation on defense, combined with a promising start to recruiting, vaults the Gators into the rankings for the first time in this year’s FPR series.”

Co-defensive coordinators [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] and [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] have plenty of talent to work with in 2022 and showed promise by nabbing five-star safety [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] among a handful of other blue-chip recruits in a short cycle.

[autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. are the players to look for up front, and “the development of others will significant” as well. [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] leads a young group of linebackers, including freshman [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag], and the secondary has some returning talent in [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag], [autotag]Rashad Torrence[/autotag] and [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr.[/autotag] [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] is also coming back from an injury that kept him out all of last year.

That leaves Florida sixth in terms of future defenses in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia, Texas A&M and Alabama take up Nos. 2-4 on the list, in that order, after reeling in strong recruiting classes year after year. If [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] can keep up the early success he’s had at Florida bringing in young talent, then Florida should start to close the gap between No. 21 and those three schools in the top five.

At the very least, the goal should be to get above Kentucky (No. 18) and start creeping up on LSU (No. 9). There’s a real feeling that Florida can reclaim the title of DBU over the next few years with former LSU defensive backs coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] in tow. The recruiting class of 2023 should have a huge impact on the Gators’ future defense ranking.

[mm-video type=video id=01g2wm5racw97y3ztjrk playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2wm5racw97y3ztjrk/01g2wm5racw97y3ztjrk-4cd8a74f9512d12e750d737477220239.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=83923,83868,83802,83793,83723]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Florida announces rosters for Orange and Blue game

Who are Gators fans cheering for Team Orange or Team Blue? Florida’s spring game is this Thursday night.

Florida’s first football game under new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is finally here. The Orange and Blue Game is Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. EDT and can be seen on SEC Network+. Ahead of the game, the Gators unveiled their rosters for the spring game on Wednesday.

The rosters consist of 52 and 48 players, respectively, even though outside linebacker [autotag]Chief Borders[/autotag], running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Jordan Young[/autotag] are expected to play for both teams. Napier and Florida also divided up its on-the-field coaching staff and off-the-field analysts and staffers. Women’s basketball coach [autotag]Kelly Rae Finley[/autotag] and men’s basketball coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] will serve as the honorary captains for the Orange and Blue teams.

Napier has elected to put the first-team offense and defense on opposite teams. The first-team defense will be on Orange while the first-team offense will be on Blue. Orange’s defense will be highlighted by safety [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag], defensive tackle [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag]. Blue’s offense will be led by quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], wide receiver [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] and offensive linemen [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag].

It’s an exciting time for Florida fans because it’s their first chance to see Napier in charge and the program’s first spring football game in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here is a look at the rosters for both teams:

[mm-video type=video id=01g0dhaw3ehvs2ycfr9w playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g0dhaw3ehvs2ycfr9w/01g0dhaw3ehvs2ycfr9w-5d6b990b2197f47ce6bbee07d49dd36f.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=81650,81645,81641,81637,81584]

[listicle id=81564]

[listicle id=81628]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Coveted safety wants to take an official visit to Florida this summer

Florida coaches Billy Naper and Patrick Toney told three-star safety Bryce Thornton to keep coming back to visit.

Three-star safety [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag] didn’t have the best first visit to Florida as it was rushed because he was with his 7-on-7 team and they wanted to see more than one school in a day. However, it didn’t keep Thornton from coming back. He made it to the Swamp for the second time this past weekend and told 247Sports that he wants to take an official visit here this summer.

One of his favorite parts of this weekend’s visit was seeing the team partake in its second scrimmage of the spring. Florida co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] sees Thornton as nickel in his defense, so he spent a good chunk of the scrimmage watching [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag], [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag].

Thornton thinks he would be a good fit in the Gators’ defense and likes the idea of playing in the box and blitzing sometimes or playing more outside.

During his visit, he said he spent the most time around Toney and head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]. Thornton said they told him to keep coming back to campus and keep working hard. They also liked how hard he plays on film.

Thornton plans to drop his list of top five schools on April 24, and the Gators have a good shot of making it due to the relationships he has built with people around the program. He added that he wants to have a decision made by the start of his senior season.

So looking ahead to official visits, he hopes to take some in the summer and plans to use one to see Florida again this summer.

[mm-video type=video id=01g05gramt0wpd77vk0b playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g05gramt0wpd77vk0b/01g05gramt0wpd77vk0b-697cb7fe751d19582765ab1a7e00a508.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=81494,81478,81465,81462,81435]

[listicle id=81207]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Florida’s Trey Dean is one of the top returning players in college football

Trey Dean III passed on a chance at getting drafted in the NFL to return to Florida for his senior season in 2021.

It’s hard to argue with a player’s decision to leave the college ranks and shoot their shot at the NFL level. After all, even if you slip in the draft, you can still end up with life-changing money.

But every year, a number of players pass on the opportunity, instead choosing to bet on themselves by returning to school with the hopes of improving their draft stock (and in turn, the size of their first contract).

This year, there will be even more players making that decision, as in addition to draft-eligible sophomores and juniors, seniors will be permitted to return for an extra year of eligibility as part of the adjustments made to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic.

CBS Sports released a list of its top-20 players who spurned the draft to return to college, and though no UF players crack the list, defensive back Trey Dean III is listed as the first honorable mention.

Dean announced his return earlier this month after Florida’s loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. In 2020, he struggled to earn a starting role, but he saw the field in nine games and had a career-high in tackles with 34. He also recovered a fumble, made a sack and intercepted Alabama quarterback Mac Jones in the SEC Championship before he fumbled after a 19-yard return.

Heading into 2021, Dean is a strong candidate to be either one of the safety starters or the starter at nickel.

[lawrence-related id=33784,33780,33761,33708,33718]

[listicle id=33848]

[vertical-gallery id=32378]

Versatile defensive back to return to Florida for senior season

The junior will come back to the Gators next year, and his return is a big boost to Florida’s secondary heading into 2021.

[jwplayer UDdLLuCj]

Florida defensive back Trey Dean III is coming back in 2021. The junior defensive back appeared in nine games this season as a safety and special teams contributor.

His return isn’t exactly surprising, as he wasn’t expected by many to be an early pick in the 2021 NFL draft, but it helps boost a defense that already has to replace a number of starters next season — including several in the secondary.

In his nine appearances, Dean totaled 34 tackles (one for loss), a sack and an interception, which came against Alabama in the SEC Championship.

Dean has been a bit of a utility player during his time at Florida. He saw significant action as an outside corner his freshman year after Marco Wilson suffered a season-ending injury. Heading into 2019, he saw his role shift more to the nickel.

This past year, Dean moved again, and he saw the bulk of his time on defense at safety. With Wilson’s departure, Dean could compete for starting spots either at safety or nickel in 2021.

[lawrence-related id=33127,33121,33113,33038,33025]