Gators DB Trey Dean III Faces a Predicament Without Spring Football

This time last season, there was a much different expectation for Gators defensive back Trey Dean III.

Having just completed an uber-successful freshman year after filling in for Marco Wilson on the outside following Wilson’s torn ACL, Dean was ready to continue that success on the inside in 2019.

Following the departure of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in 2018, the Gators tried to transition Dean to the inside with hopes that he could continue to shine alongside the returning Wilson and the talented C.J. Henderson.

However, this all seemed too good to be true, and it was. Inconsistent play and months of frustration for Dean have led us to this offseason, a point where we ask ourselves: What position will Dean play next season? Would he stick at cornerback, where - though he barely saw action - he finished the 2019 season, or perhaps give safety a try?

With speculation swirling around the program and comments from both head coach Dan Mullen and Dean himself, there was a plan to find where he was most comfortable in spring practice. But, given the circumstances that have arisen due to COVID-19, Dean is put in one of the more peculiar spots of any player on the Gators roster with spring events being canceled.

As one of the only players with legitimate pros and cons in the situation, he is both helped and hurt by the lack of extra reps he will receive this offseason.

In 2018, Dean showed he was capable of playing disciplined defense on the outside for Florida, accounting for 26 total tackles, five defended passes, and one interception. Despite his regression in 2019—still recording 26 total tackles and one interception, but only one pass defended—he has experienced rather meaningful success in his time as a Gator.

Without the much-needed repetitions for younger players to develop this spring, Dean could benefit significantly from his experience in seeing a large quantity of action next season.

On the other hand, the lack of reps that hurt the younger players can also hurt Dean as well.

The last impression Dean left on the coaching staff in 2019 was not a good one. Losing his starting job near the end of the season with Kaiir Elam emerging outside and Marco Wilson taking over as STAR, Dean was set to prove himself yet again through his play in the spring - along with other young defensive backs including Chester Kimbrough and Jaydon Hill.

Dean struggled playing in the box last year, often covering the flats and up the seams while also setting the edge against the run or rushing the passer. His sack count and tackles-for-loss tally both went up from zero to two and 3.5, respectively, but a lack of increase in tackles while playing in the box was a head-scratcher. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus knocked Dean for allowing 73.5% of his 34 targets in coverage to be caught on the year.

As a player who could possibly be transitioning to a new position given the lack of depth at safety, as well as the ability Dean has shown in coverage before—which makes him better suited to play that position—he no longer gets the time to adjust to that role.

As a result, he is left with little opportunity to adjust to safety if that is the spot the coaching staff sees best fits his skillset.

In a wild situation that consists of inconvenience for many players, Dean is stuck in a tough spot. As a semi-proven factor on the outside, it is quite possible that with the lack of spring practices, the coaching staff goes with the most experienced player to go alongside Elam and Wilson—who would play STAR in this situation—to start 2020.

But, given his inconsistencies last year may lead the coaching staff to believe he’s more equipped at safety than cornerback. In that situation, his experience goes all out the window.

Only time will tell where Dean will end up for the 2020 season, and with loads of questions surrounding him this offseason, the variance of where he ends up is high.

In uncharted territory for anyone on this team—players or coaches—the biggest question for Dean remains: Do the positives outweigh the negatives or the negatives outweigh the positives?

Either way it plays out, the role for Dean could be drastically swayed in one way or another given the current unknowns surrounding sports all around the world, affecting his role greatly for the Gators in 2020.