by Bill Seals
After watching highlight tape of a southeast Kansas prep quarterback and hosting him on an unofficial visit earlier this month, Iowa State extended an offer to the Class of 2019 prospect.
Altamont Labette County junior Easton Dean was on campus for a bowl practice on December 10th, and said he was surprised by what transpired during his visit to Ames.
“After practice, Coach (Jim) Hofher took me on a tour of the campus and then Coach (Matt) Campbell pulled me in his office and talked to me for a little bit,” said Dean. “That’s when he offered me. It really shocked me because I wasn’t really ready for that yet. Iowa State is my first one, so it’s pretty special since they’re so generous. It means a lot to me that they’re interested and want me. I like up there a lot.”
The 6-foot-7, 220-pound Dean is coming off a junior season in which he led his team to a 9-2 finish by completing 133-of-192 passes for 2,208 yards and posting a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 22:5. Besides ISU, Dean said he’s gotten some interest from Kansas State.
Dean’s team runs a system that looks very similar to the one the Cyclones’ employ.
“We run a similar offense at our high school that (Campbell) does and he likes the way I’m a mobile quarterback that can throw,” Dean said. “He also likes my size. He and Coach Hofher like what I can do out there extending plays.
“There’s a lot of post-snap reads that you have to make and a lot of progressions to go through. You count the numbers for each play to see where guys are and read the zones.”
After getting the opportunity to watch the I-State offense perform in person, Dean said he’s even more excited about the offer.
“They have a lot of young guys on the offense and it’s a special group,” he said. “The receivers have scored a lot of touchdowns and they have a great running back that’s fun to watch. They have players that will be around for a while making more plays.”
He also likes what he saw of the top two quarterbacks on the depth chart, Kyle Kempt and Zeb Noland.
“They stand in there, make good decisions, good reads, take care of the ball and make smart plays,” Dean said.
As for the other facets of his unofficial visit, Dean said he liked what surrounds the football program.
“The facilities are really nice,” he said. “What they’re going to add on sounds like a good plan. The facilities feel right and I think it’s a good school. Academically, there are a lot of good opportunities I can have there.”
ISU coaches will return the favor and visit Dean next month, and the quarterback is already looking ahead to his next stop in Ames.
“I think I’m going to come up for a Junior Day, for one of the basketball games this winter,” he said. “They haven’t seen me throw live yet, but they will when they come to visit me on either the 11th or 12th of January.”
After watching highlight tape of a southeast Kansas prep quarterback and hosting him on an unofficial visit earlier this month, Iowa State extended an offer to the Class of 2019 prospect.
Altamont Labette County junior Easton Dean was on campus for a bowl practice on December 10th, and said he was surprised by what transpired during his visit to Ames.
“After practice, Coach (Jim) Hofher took me on a tour of the campus and then Coach (Matt) Campbell pulled me in his office and talked to me for a little bit,” said Dean. “That’s when he offered me. It really shocked me because I wasn’t really ready for that yet. Iowa State is my first one, so it’s pretty special since they’re so generous. It means a lot to me that they’re interested and want me. I like up there a lot.”
The 6-foot-7, 220-pound Dean is coming off a junior season in which he led his team to a 9-2 finish by completing 133-of-192 passes for 2,208 yards and posting a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 22:5. Besides ISU, Dean said he’s gotten some interest from Kansas State.
Dean’s team runs a system that looks very similar to the one the Cyclones’ employ.
“We run a similar offense at our high school that (Campbell) does and he likes the way I’m a mobile quarterback that can throw,” Dean said. “He also likes my size. He and Coach Hofher like what I can do out there extending plays.
“There’s a lot of post-snap reads that you have to make and a lot of progressions to go through. You count the numbers for each play to see where guys are and read the zones.”
After getting the opportunity to watch the I-State offense perform in person, Dean said he’s even more excited about the offer.
“They have a lot of young guys on the offense and it’s a special group,” he said. “The receivers have scored a lot of touchdowns and they have a great running back that’s fun to watch. They have players that will be around for a while making more plays.”
He also likes what he saw of the top two quarterbacks on the depth chart, Kyle Kempt and Zeb Noland.
“They stand in there, make good decisions, good reads, take care of the ball and make smart plays,” Dean said.
As for the other facets of his unofficial visit, Dean said he liked what surrounds the football program.
“The facilities are really nice,” he said. “What they’re going to add on sounds like a good plan. The facilities feel right and I think it’s a good school. Academically, there are a lot of good opportunities I can have there.”
ISU coaches will return the favor and visit Dean next month, and the quarterback is already looking ahead to his next stop in Ames.
“I think I’m going to come up for a Junior Day, for one of the basketball games this winter,” he said. “They haven’t seen me throw live yet, but they will when they come to visit me on either the 11th or 12th of January.”
