12/16/2020 football Edit

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Football Signee Bio: LB Austin Dean

Richie O'Leary • TheKnightReport

Publisher

Tampa (FL) Berkley Prep School two-star linebacker Austin Dean has officially signed his letter of intent and is now a Rutgers Scarlet Knight.

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Statistics

• After his senior year, Dean finished with 73 total tackles, six quarterback hurries, three tackles for loss, three sacks, on interception, one blocked punt and two blocked field goals.

• A little over a year ago, he finished his junior year campaign with 40 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hurries, six sacks, three pass deflections, three blocked punts, one forced fumble and one blocked field goal.

Recruitment

• Originally pledged to Rutgers on May 19, 2020.

• Chose Rutgers over 19 other offers from the likes of Buffalo, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale and many more.

Did You Know?

• Dean plays for Berkeley Prep (FL), the same school that Greg Schiano coached after his stint with the Tampa Bay Bucs.

• The Florida native will rejoin his former high school teammate Joshua Youngblood on the banks next season.

They Said It

• Berkeley Prep head coach Dominick Ciao: “He has been a physical, tough, hard-nosed playmaker for us. He’s relentless and has the urge to dominate. We have used him as a hybrid defensive end where he can stand up or get in a stance. If we can get on the field this year, he’s going to play linebacker for us because that’s where Rutgers sees him. We expect nothing but greatness from Austin Dean. He’s a great leader, a great student and a great character kid. He leads the correct way and he’ll be a captain for us. He’s a character kid.”

• TKR Film Analyst Alec Simpson: "Austin Dean checks in at 6-foot-2 and 220-pounds which projects him best at the inside linebacker position in my opinion. As an outside backer at the high school level, he did a great job of pursuing the quarterback with physicality and quickness. Dean also moves well laterally, which will surely benefit at the inside linebacker position at the next level. He isn’t afraid to stick his nose in there and make a physical play once he finds the football, which that style of play will really benefit in the Big Ten.

"Dean is definitely still a bit raw fundamentally, but he will learn once acclimated to the Big Ten football setting. I would also like to see him be a bit faster off the edge and see a solid burst in his get off. He will need that burst when he’s blitzing at the inside linebacker position to get to the quarterback on time. Dean also needs to be more physical with his hands on his opposing linemen and shed those blockers faster to make a play. At inside backer, he needs to surely get his playing level down to ultimately be able to make a play on the football. Dean will be a guy that can contribute a few years down the line for Rutgers and has all the tools to be successful in the Big Ten conference. He's a solid get for Coach Schiano and staff out of the Sunshine State."