Jhavonte Dean, 4-star Alabama DB commit, talks about official visit to ASU
Ralph Amsden | ASUDevils.com
Coming out of high school, Jhavonte Dean was a 2-star recruit and a Cincinnati commit. Now, he's one of the most sought-after defensive backs in the country. The 4-star Alabama commit who's finishing up his second-to-last semester at Blinn College, visited Arizona State this weekend and came away with another option to consider.
Jhavonte Dean
Cornerback
4 STARS
Blinn C.C.
Brenham, TX
RR: 5.8
Ht: 6'2"
Wt: 180 lbs
Class: 2017
-
POSITION
-
NATIONAL
-
STATE
Commitment status:
VERBAL COMMIT
Alabama
Dean publicized his Arizona State offer on December 1st, so it seemed a bit fast that he would take an official just one week later, but he said that his Arizona State offer actually came much earlier, and he's been developing a relationship with Arizona State throughout his JuCo season. "They actually offered way before that, that's just when I decided to put it out there," said Dean. "Coach Rushing and I got to know each other over the phone, and he actually came out to one of my games, and they've done a real good job of continuing to hit me up. He's even come out to see me again after that."
Jhavonte Dean is currently committed to Alabama, but visited ASU, and plans to visit Miami
via Twitter
Multiple trips by Arizona State defensive backs coach TJ Rushing led Dean to take a trip out to Tempe and ensure that he's making the best decision for his situation. "I'm doing my due diligence, but Arizona State is up there due to the success they've had with JuCo players. They're definitely up there."
Dean said that while his visit was fun, he did take the time to get down to brass tack swith the coaching staff about where they saw him fitting in. "My host was Frank Darby, and we just toured the school and the city and everything. Then we all had a sit down, and talked about me coming in. They told me they need defensive backs, and they were honest with me, they told me they could see me coming in to compete to play."
Dean also mentioned Arizona State's talent at wide receiver helping sharpen the skills of the defensive backs that have to practice against them. He also said he recognized one of the weekend's visitors, RB Eno Benjamin, but was meeting most everyone else for the first time.
The path from playing high school football in Florida to being a top JuCO recruit in Texas is something that Dean never dreamed was possible. "I used to joke about stuff like that with a teammate, saying 'guess who called me today,' and then all of the sudden it actually started happening, he said. "High school was very competitive, and I originally committed to Cincinnati, but I didn't have the ACT scores, so I came to Blinn. After I got to Blinn I started working on technique, and working hard. After I started getting some attention in the spring, I called Cincinnati and decommitted from there, and that's when everything started happening for me."
Jhavonte Dean was offered by Alabama in June, and committed in July, but schools like Arizona State and Miami, whom he's visiting officially on January 17th, haven't stopped trying to sway him on what they have to offer- namely playing time. "I sign February 2nd. My priority is to graduate, and then my priority after that is to go somewhere where I can walk in and fight for that job, because I only have two years."
BONE: I think Dean signs with Miami when all is said and done.
Ralph Amsden | ASUDevils.com
Coming out of high school, Jhavonte Dean was a 2-star recruit and a Cincinnati commit. Now, he's one of the most sought-after defensive backs in the country. The 4-star Alabama commit who's finishing up his second-to-last semester at Blinn College, visited Arizona State this weekend and came away with another option to consider.
Jhavonte Dean
Cornerback
4 STARS
Blinn C.C.
Brenham, TX
RR: 5.8
Ht: 6'2"
Wt: 180 lbs
Class: 2017
-
POSITION
-
NATIONAL
-
STATE
Commitment status:
VERBAL COMMIT
Alabama
Dean publicized his Arizona State offer on December 1st, so it seemed a bit fast that he would take an official just one week later, but he said that his Arizona State offer actually came much earlier, and he's been developing a relationship with Arizona State throughout his JuCo season. "They actually offered way before that, that's just when I decided to put it out there," said Dean. "Coach Rushing and I got to know each other over the phone, and he actually came out to one of my games, and they've done a real good job of continuing to hit me up. He's even come out to see me again after that."
Jhavonte Dean is currently committed to Alabama, but visited ASU, and plans to visit Miami
via Twitter
Multiple trips by Arizona State defensive backs coach TJ Rushing led Dean to take a trip out to Tempe and ensure that he's making the best decision for his situation. "I'm doing my due diligence, but Arizona State is up there due to the success they've had with JuCo players. They're definitely up there."
Dean said that while his visit was fun, he did take the time to get down to brass tack swith the coaching staff about where they saw him fitting in. "My host was Frank Darby, and we just toured the school and the city and everything. Then we all had a sit down, and talked about me coming in. They told me they need defensive backs, and they were honest with me, they told me they could see me coming in to compete to play."
Dean also mentioned Arizona State's talent at wide receiver helping sharpen the skills of the defensive backs that have to practice against them. He also said he recognized one of the weekend's visitors, RB Eno Benjamin, but was meeting most everyone else for the first time.
The path from playing high school football in Florida to being a top JuCO recruit in Texas is something that Dean never dreamed was possible. "I used to joke about stuff like that with a teammate, saying 'guess who called me today,' and then all of the sudden it actually started happening, he said. "High school was very competitive, and I originally committed to Cincinnati, but I didn't have the ACT scores, so I came to Blinn. After I got to Blinn I started working on technique, and working hard. After I started getting some attention in the spring, I called Cincinnati and decommitted from there, and that's when everything started happening for me."
Jhavonte Dean was offered by Alabama in June, and committed in July, but schools like Arizona State and Miami, whom he's visiting officially on January 17th, haven't stopped trying to sway him on what they have to offer- namely playing time. "I sign February 2nd. My priority is to graduate, and then my priority after that is to go somewhere where I can walk in and fight for that job, because I only have two years."
BONE: I think Dean signs with Miami when all is said and done.
