Jamel Dean
Jamel Dean announced his intentions to leave Ohio State last month, and it appears Auburn may be his new destination.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder from Cocoa, Fla., took to Twitter Friday morning and said we will be a Tiger. Auburn can not confirm potential transfers until they are enrolled at the university.
The former four-star prospect suffered multiple knee injuries in high school, including one to his ACL. He committed to Ohio State in 2014 and enrolled in January in time for spring practices, but was medically disqualified.
Cocoa head coach John Wilkinson coached Dean for four years and said 25 to 30 schools contacted him once he left Ohio State.
"I'm very excited for Jamel," Dean's head coach, John Wilkinson told AL.com. "He's getting to go to a great place. Coach (Gus) Malzahn is an unbeilevable coach and we have good relationship with Coach (Will) Muschamp and Travaris Robinson. He was one of first people I contacted to gauge interest."
Dean didn't leave Ohio State on the best terms. Wilkinson told Cleveland.com last month his former player was being pushed off the team with a medial hardship to clear up space.
"They're saying they're going to honor his scholarship, but honoring his scholarship doesn't allow him to play the game he loves to play," Wilkinson said. "It's all ridiculous and I don't appreciate them treating my kid this way. I'm sticking up for my kid. He was committed to them, but yet they're not fully committed to him."
Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer later said he felt his staff handled the situation correctly.
"This isn't 10 years ago where I heard stories where coaches would say, 'No, no, he's going to be OK,'" Meyer said. "Once this all came up, I went through A to Z, and our guys not only did good, they did great."
Dean has since been cleared by Dr. James Andrews and is set to arrive on the Plains May 24. He has four years of eligibility remaining.
"His rehab is going well -- he's doing real good," assistant coach Tryone Giscombe told 247Sports. "All of his lower body is active. He's running. He's very excited. All he ever wanted to do was play college football."
As a senior, Dean had 25 tackles, six pass break-ups and an interception, which he returned for a touchdown. He also starred at receiver, catching 22 passes for 742 yards and 12 scores.
"He's a dynamic player and a phenomenal corner," Wilkinson said. "He has long arms and is a lockdown corner. For his size and speed, he's got everything you look for."