BUDDY BLOG: Trey Dean Circumvented Obstacles. His Journey Of Faith Has Him Ready To Finish Strong.
"After I found out a different piece he added to his staff, I prayed about it,” said Trey. “I know a lot of people say I shouldn’t have come back even though a lot of people don’t have the chance to go to the NFL. But what coach Napier is bringing to the University of Florida, it’s going to be special.”
By BUDDY MARTIN
GatorBaitMedia.com Editor
Ever since he was a small boy, while traveling south to Orlando, Trey Dean felt the I-75 Gainesville exit calling him. “I want to go to The Swamp,” he would cry to his parents, Kai and Thad Dean, as they passed through Alachua County. Sometimes they would stop and visit Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. And eventually one day he would play for the Gators, indeed — except it took a minute.
One thing Trey would learn in a hurry was how quickly, and frequently, change could come. Yet there was no way he could have foreseen that he’d be committing to play for one coach (Jim McElwain) and then staying around long enough to play for two others. Never mind the cataclysmic events like NIL and the Transfer Portal.
A long time ago. But Florida was Trey’s “Dream School” and he showed up for his date with destiny. Before he got there, McElwain was gone but as his mom Kai said, “If it wasn’t for God putting people in his life, there’s no way he could have done it.” He was influenced by his Gator cousins Ahmad Black and Houston Harrison. (Also his distant cousin was Crimson Tide star Amari Cooper ).
Tennessee won his affections early and he gave a verbal to Butch Jones. That was 2017 when Trump was sworn in as president; hurricanes ravaged Florida, Texas and the Caribbean and Gator football took a downturn after an ugly 4-7 campaign, setting the table for Dan Mullen.
Meanwhile Dean was about to become a chess piece in the secondary, moving into three different positions in four seasons — corner, STAR and now safety, which is exactly where Nick Saban had predicted he’d wind up playing if he went to Florida. In between, having graduated in December, there was the option of the Transfer Portal as a grad transfer since he’d achieved his goal to earn his UF degree. Now what?
Trey thus became a "Super Senior," choosing to add on his extra Covid year. Even though he was invited to take advantage of the NFL Combine, he chose not to, but used the evaluation information to possibly improve his odds of getting drafted. As a result, playing safety, he now adds significant punch on the back end for Patrick Toney.
"After I found out a different piece he added to his staff, I prayed about it,” said Trey. “I know a lot of people say I shouldn’t have come back even though a lot of people don’t have the chance to go to the NFL. But what coach Napier is bringing to the University of Florida, it’s going to be special.”
Now for the unfinished business:
First of all, he said, "I really prayed on it. God blessed me with a great athletic director, Scott Stricklin, to hire Coach Napier. And Coach Napier hired a lot of great assistants, like Patrick Toney, in addition to Corey Raymond. That made my decision. If I had it to do over again I would do it."
"I knew coach Napier was going to hire the right staff and the right people around me to help me become a better person," Trey said about returning, also mentioning that he had confidence that athletic director Scott Stricklin would make the right hire after letting Dan Mullen go. So Part 2 of the Trey Dean Journey was jump-started.
In the process, says Kai, Gator Collective has “really helped Trey develop a true brand package that is uniquely Trey.” And now it is up to her son to exercise those principles. “They have done an amazing job of filling the gaps where the players really are. In totality it’s definitely my son.”
For Kai it’s not so much the money that the NIL brings, but “the guidance.” As it sits now, Trey Dean is showing up to play for Napier — Kai said there was a level of trust with the new coach — capping off a career that will likely be NFL worthy.
For the Dean family it has been a journey of faith, but not without challenges. She and Thad raised her son in a Christian home and it has greatly influenced his decisions.
“It doesn’t prohibit them from going through their own individual trials,” said Kai, who said she and her husband raised Trey in an atmosphere of faith. “Trey has seen God put people in his life to work on his behalf when he didn’t even know they were there.”
Now that he's a grown man, Kai says she has realized she has to let Trey run his own life.
“I can tell you,” Kai said of the past year or uncertainty, “that during this experience, our son has really grown as a man. I had to really step back and allow him to lead. Because we’re not the same people and he’s not the same player who came to Florida four years ago. There’s been a lot of growing and a lot of stuff has happened from a personal perspective and player development.”
After a parents meeting with the coaches, Kai was asked for her reaction, to which she responded:
Q: What is your initial impression of the new defensive coordinator, and Trey's position coach, Patrick Toney?
A: Initial change is very difficult for most people. In the game of college football, the unknown from change can be frightening and uncertain. We have researched and been informed about Coach Toney’s strengths and proven coaching intelligence. During our individual position coach meeting on Saturday, I was very impressed with Coach Toney’s eye for detail and execution plan. As a family we are looking forward to seeing the influence of Coach Toney’s knowledge on our Trey, the secondary, and entire defense. As Coach Toney and Coach (Corey) Raymond work cohesively together in building a powerful competitive secondary, I believe DBU will arise again.
Q: Do you see, feel, or does your son talk about any differences here in the first two months under Napier?
A: Thus far Coach Napier’s word has been followed with resolution and delivery. He shared with us, that he was going to build an infrastructure of subject manner experts, professional coaches, and staff that will cultivate a highly productive program that produces highly competitive college football players. He’s shown to be a very organized person with attention to the details of intentional planning and operating cohesively on the same page. Mountains can be moved and games can be won when all parties are working on the same vision, mission and goal. Looking forward to seeing the results from spring practice and beyond.
Trey says a bond is building between the DBs. The confidence of he and Rashad Torrence at safety, Jaydon Hill and Jason Marshall Jr. at corner is growing and they're developing an attitude of "We're coming for you LSU, and we're the new DBU." (My words, not theirs.)
So how will Trey Dean be different?
"I'm going to take advantage of every opportunity I have," he said," and really wear my colors with pride. Every time I step on the field it's going to be a blessing. I'm going to be the man God wants me to be. I'm gonna make plays -- a lot of them."
Trey feels the coaches will put he and his teammates in the "right position to make plays" and assures the interviewer "at the University of Florida it's not a 'talent problem.'" He feels the coaches can teach him and his teammates how to be in position to make plays before the snap.
No talent problem. Getting coached up on technique. "And now you've got a monster!"
Sounds like Billy Napier is off to a good start in the attitude department, huh? I'm starting to smell confidence.
Excellent story about Trey. By delving into his parents’ perspective you’ve helped us know this Gator safety far better. Thanks, Buddy!
GREAT COLUMN BUDDY ! Randy Denson