“He spent the whole spring with the quarterbacks and we’ve been able to move him back and forth a bit,” tight ends coach
Alex Golesh said. “He’s super talented and tough and smart and long and can run. All good traits.
I think he has a chance to help us as a quarterback as we move along. I really think he has a chance to help us as a tight end as we move along.”
To be clear,
Matt Campbell said Iowa State has made no ‘wholesale’ changes in regards to Dean’s position after he signed as a quarterback in December. The Cyclones simply see multi-position potential in their freshman, and with
Brock Purdy locked in at quarterback,
Re-al Mitchell behind him and fifth-year senior
John Kolar behind him, the program is tinkering.
Dean does possess many of Iowa State’s coveted tight end qualities. Standing next to
Charlie Kolarat practice, Dean displayed a similar build, only slimmer than the 6-foot-6, 250-pound redshirt sophomore. He played basketball in high school much like his tight end counterparts, averaging 13.9 points and 9.5 rebounds as a junior before enrolling early. As a dual-threat quarterback he showcased ability as a tough, physical runner, rushing for 544 yards in 2018.
Quarterbacks often have soft hands that allow them to more easily transition as pass-catchers — see
Deshaunte Jones and
David Montgomery — and tight ends are the one position that must have knowledge of the entire offense. So while Dean caught all of four passes in high school, he has the requisite tools to develop into an athletic tight end.