When Jace Dean transferred to Central Holmes, he had big plans for his junior season.
But things rarely happen like they are supposed to.
Heading into the season opener last year, Dean was sidelined with appendicitis. Then after he finally returned to the field, he suffered a concussion.
But when he finally got on the field for the Trojans, Dean showed the potential that the coaches had seen all along.
“He had an up and down first year here at Central Holmes,” Central Holmes coach Mitch Womack said. “He is ready to go and getting his body in shape. He is working out hard and I hope what happened to him last year doesn’t happen to him this year so he can have a great senior year. We never really got to see what he could do last year so he has a chip on his shoulder. He lost about 25 pounds and a lot of muscle tone but he has gained that back and is ready to go.”
Dean stands out on the football field with his 6-foot-4 frame and has worked on becoming faster. He recently ran 4.65 in the 40-yard dash.
“He went to an Ole Miss camp when he was younger and the coaches told them they liked his frame but he needed to get faster and stronger,” older brother Ty Dean, who coaches baseball at Central Holmes, said. “And he took that to heart and started to work on his speed. He is super athletic and just lets that athletic ability take over. He excels at this level in multiple sports. He has the size and can catch anything you throw at him. He has been working on his speed. He pulls the sled a lot and really works on getting faster.”
Now that he’s healthy, Dean will be all over the field for the Trojans this season.
“Jace is a kid that we are going to rely on heavily on both sides of the football,” Womack said. “He is going to be working different positions. We are going to work him at slot, some at receiver as a flex tight end look and even some at quarterback. Numbers wise we are down a little bit and he’s accepted his different roles.”
On offense, Womack thinks Dean can be a weapon because of his frame.
“I see him being a guy we can go to as a possession-type of receiver,” Womack said. “With his size, he has the frame to be able to body up a lot of defensive backs. He’s not going to face many corners who are 6-1. He’s going to be an integral part of our passing game. If you put him in the slot, he’s a matchup problem against a linebacker because of his speed. He will be a kid that can draw a safety out of the box to help the running game.”
Womack said Dean has also accepted his role as being one of the leaders on campus.
“He knows he is one of our best players,” Womack said. “He is pushing our new sophomore class every day. We have talked about how we can get those younger guys more involved and more relaxed. The first name that comes to mind is Jace because he can encourage them without talking down to them. He has a great personality and is great in the locker room. There are guys who can talk leadership but he not only talks it but backs it up and that’s a true leader to me. He embraces that role in the weigh room and on the field. He is 100 percent in everything he does.”
Womack said he believes Dean will get a chance to play a the next level.
“He has the potential and the body size to play at the next level,” Womack said. “He could be one of those flex tight end guys or one of those standup linebackers in a 3-4 scheme. He’s quick and fast, has great leaping ability, and has really good hands, that’s why we are going to put him more in a receiving role in the passing game this year and go from there. He’s just super athletic and you can’t coach size and speed.”
Dean is also a standout on the basketball court as well, earning all-district honors last year for the Trojans. He also played on the baseball team and was on the track team as well.
“Baseball isn’t his forte but he played because his brother was coaching,” Ty said. “He hadn’t played since he was a kid but I thought he did a good job. He started in the outfield and can track down balls. He’s a natural receiver on the football field and it shows in the outfield. He will play a bigger role for us this year and will give us some innings on the mound. He only played five games and he was hitting over .300. He will definitely have a bigger role for us this year. In track, he would have maxed out on events and would have qualified for the state tournament in several event. He might even have won a couple of events.
“I hope he gets an opportunity to play somewhere. He has gotten some calls and some looks. He’s going to some camps and working to get seen and get better. I’m his brother and I’m hard on him but I’m proud of him at the same time.”
Jace Dean of Central Holmes Christian School is the sixth member of the Star-Herald “Top 11 To Watch” to be unveiled. They are being revealed in no particular order on a week-by-week basis and all six of the schools in the Star-Herald coverage area — Kosciusko, Ethel, McAdams, French Camp, Central Holmes and Winona — Christian will be represented. Previously announced as members the Top 11 were Antonio Harmon and Kobe Carter of Kosciusko, Dalton Wiggins of Winona Christian School, C.J. Johnson of French Camp Academy, and Jalen Perteet of McAdams High School.
