Dean 'really, really good' in press coverage

AUBURN | For most of Auburn’s football players, the start of fall camp was met with excitement along a little trepidation knowing a full 33 days of hard work, much of it under a blazing sun, lie ahead before the opening game.

But for Jamel Dean, July 31 was one of the best days of his young life.

“It was real exciting for me, especially the first day of fall camp. That part was what I liked the most. That was probably the happiest I've been in a long time,” Dean said.

Dean’s enthusiasm is understandable considering he hasn’t played in an official football game since his senior year at Cocoa (Fla.) High School in 2014. A knee injury derailed Dean during last fall’s preseason camp, but he’s back to full heath now.

“I mean, it was a difficult time for me knowing that I had to suffer through that injury again. But I just put that behind me now,” Dean said. “I'm just continuing where I left off at from last year.”

Dean was on track to be one of Auburn’s starting cornerbacks last year and is in the same position again as he competes with Javaris Davis, who started four games for the Tigers last season.

“Jamel is another guy that's been blessed,” secondary coach Greg Brown said. “He's a big body, can run, athletic. We've just got to remember and temper everything with the fact that he's never played a down of college football so he's brand new. Yes, he has some gifts but he's got to be incorporated and come up through the ranks to figure out what this is all about.”

Dean, 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, likes to use his size and length to knock receivers off their routes and gain an edge at the line of scrimmage.

“It's a real advantage for me, because receivers don't really go against corners my size,” Dean said. “Going against me, it makes things much harder, because you've got to change the way you release.”

And just one change of direction or pause at the line of scrimmage can make a huge difference for the defense.

“If he gets in front of you and gets his hands on you, he can make that clock that the quarterback has be affected by how the guy released off him and mess up the timing of the route combinations,” defensive coordinator Kevin Steele explained. “He’s really, really good at that because he is so long and strong and he’s really, really smart.”

Dean’s competing hard for a starting position but just playing in the opener against Georgia Southern will be a significant milestone.

“I just want to play. That's all. I just want to play my first college game. I've done missed two years of it,” Dean said.

*****Click HERE for a BUNKER BONUS on who Dean says is Auburn's toughest matchup at receiver.